Pokemon Colosseum: Apparitions
by Digi-Dolphin
Summary: fka Truths that lie in shadows Cipher's been down for a year, but they have plans to recover and rebuild. All they need is the ultimate database of Shadow Pokemon research, hidden in the last place anyone would suspect.....
1. Shadow Strikes

Hey, all. Okay, you know who belongs to who, all Pokemon goes to Nintendo and Game Freak, those lucky bastards. However, the ideas are mine, and so are Jupiter and Pluto. They're my Pokemon, I raised 'em myself from babies in Silver and used their names for Colosseum.

Now, this story bounces back and forth from Wes/Seth's (hero) view and Rui's view (partner girl). The first couple of chaps have this issue where the switch happens in the middle of a paragraph, but I fixed it in later chapters. I hope you enjoy this story, I came up with it after studying Seth's creepy face for three hours straight. I needed a way to deal with that smile. shudder Too creepy, yet too cool.

* * *

Ch 1

The clouds overhead were the purest white she had ever seen, and formed shapes that she would often point out eagerly to her closest friends. Two would raise their heads to study her finds, bright eyes blinking as they tried to comprehend what was so fascinating about the formations. The third merely sniffed and continue watching the village, relaxed in appearance but if he was really 'relaxed' he wouldn't have been scowling at the two small boys running up the hill towards them. The piece of grass trapped between his teeth twitched in irritation, and she could understand his feelings. This had been the third time that week the twins had something to bother him about.

"You gotta come and check this one out! It's got these legs and this face on it and it makes funny sounds and it's green with sticky stuff on it...!" they chattered excitedly, giving the girl's friend hopeful looks that it would be enough to get him up and tagging along with them.

"It's a Spinarak. And it's probably building a web." the trainer replied gruffly, never budging from his spot against the tree. He preferred the shades to the sunny spots his partners always picked out for themselves, and if he could avoid moving from a comfortably shady spot he would.

"But don't you wanna see it?!" the twins wailed, desperate for his attention.

"You can see mine." the response came simply and, with a flick of a small green and black ball onto the grass, a large red and yellow spider appeared in a burst of light, clacking its pincers and waving its arms at the boys. They squealed and ran off, afraid of the sudden appearance of the creature. The girl glared back at him, hands on her hips.

"You didn't have to do that!" she scolded as the ball bounced back into his hand. He merely shrugged it off and put his arm back behind his head, allowing the confused Ariados to select a new spot for itself and doze off. "They just wanted to be your friends!"

"I didn't ask for any to begin with." the short response came. The girl huffed and stood up, scattering the crumbs of a picnic lunch onto the grass.

"Well, then maybe I should buzz off, too!" she declared and began to walk away stiffly.

"Jupiter." the name held the command merely by the tone he used. The girl paused when she felt a tug at the hem of her skirt, then looked back and blinked at the silvery, cat-like Pokémon that held it in its teeth, legs braced to hold her fast. She glared at the creature's master.

"That's not fair." she complained, "I have every right to go somewhere by myself!"

"As do I, yet you enjoy violating that right every chance you get." the young man replied simply. She pouted, then flopped back down on the grass, pigtails bobbing with the motion, and folded her arms over her chest, cheeks turning pink. The Espeon released her and resumed watching the skies with its twin, searching out new and unusual shapes in the clouds.

"I do not!" the girl protested, refusing to look at him. She noticed the black variation of the Espeon, the eerie Umbreon, get up and go to the picnic basket, poking its head in to retrieve another wrapped sandwich. It trotted up to its master and deposited it on his lap, receiving an affectionate scratch behind the long ears in return. The glowing rings decorating its body slightly unnerved her at night, but they didn't bother the boy a bit. They'd been friends far too long to be afraid of each other.

She let curiosity win and looked back to see what they were doing. The boy had unwrapped and split the sandwich, eating one as he looked out at the village. At least, that's what she thought he was doing. The reflective visor he was wearing over his eyes prevented her from seeing what exactly he was watching. He called the Espeon over again and split the remaining half once more, holding the pieces out for the twin Pokémon to eat.

"Wes?" she finally called. He twitched, he always twitched when she called him that, the corners of his mouth tightening for a split second. She couldn't figure out why he reacted like that. It was his name, wasn't it? He had said so himself when they first met.

"Yes?" he replied, sounding slightly annoyed. He rubbed the heads of his two most loyal Pokémon and angled his head to face her direction, the only sign he'd give her that he was looking at her when wearing the visor. She blushed. He hated when she did that; it made him think he had done something stupid or embarrassing, the last thing he wanted. And that name, that blasted name; what in the name of God had possessed him to tell her that was his name? Perhaps because the truth would scare the daylights out of her and the last thing he needed was a girl with haunted eyes following him around and drawing attention to the fact that he wasn't 'quite right'.

"Why don't you like making friends?" she asked, looking puzzled. He winced, glad the visor helped to hide his expressions. "They just wanted to be your friends."

"Rui..." he growled warningly. How many times had they been through this? He had thought that after the tenth or twentieth time he explained it, it would stay in her head.

"They're just kids." Rui added.

"The less people know about me, the better." he replied automatically. The conversation was boring him. She opened her mouth, but he already knew what question would come next. "And you already know more about me than I am comfortable with. So let's just drop the subject and move on." He scanned the village briefly and pursed his mouth tightly. "Agate Village isn't the best place for me to stay, anyways. I'm overdue for a change of scenery as it is." he added and got up. Rui started up after him.

"I'll pack up. When do we leave?" she asked, tossing the blanket and plates into the basket.

"You're not going anywhere." the boy replied. She looked up at him in confusion. "You are going to stay here with your grandparents to finish your visit. I'm heading out."

"Without me? But, Wes!" she cried and he twitched again, "What if you run into another Shadow Pokémon?! You need me to identify it for you!" The thought of him leaving her behind was painful. Rui had dropped all sorts of hints to him that she was interested in him, but either he didn't catch on, or he merely brushed it off as a childish crush. The picnic she set up for them was another hint, the biggest she could think of short of ripping that lousy blue jacket off of him and tackling him to the floor.

"Rui, Cipher went down one year ago after I snagged the last Shadow Pokémon they had to throw at me. Team Snagem went dead the day I blew the hideout to bits, and no, I'm still not telling you why I did it." the boy muttered, calling the Ariados back into the Net Ball and packing it away. "There's no real need for you to keep following after me and getting into situations you don't have to be in."

"But what about the Snag Machine? You'll need me around to help protect it, right?" Rui went on, hoping for something to use as an excuse to stay with him. She tagged after him, lugging the basket as he walked down the hill towards the town entrance, the Espeon and Umbreon walking on either side of him.

"No." he replied shortly.

"The Pokémon then! I can feed them and bathe them, tend to injuries..."

"I can handle that."

"I can fix your bike!"

"It ain't broke."

"Cook your meals!"

"I can cook."

"Wash your clothes!"

"That's way too personal."

"Shine your shoes!"

"Rui! Go away!"

"Please, let me stay with you!! I want to help!"

"Help me with what?! I'm not doing anything!" The conversation became a shouting match that traveled through town, with everyone stopping what they were doing to listen and watch. 'Wes' was marching off, head bent forward to avoid eye contact with anyone. Rui was running after, wailing at the top of her lungs more reasons why she should continue following him.

"I can sew your clothes!"

"They're fine, Rui!"

"Shine the Snag Machine!"

"It doesn't need it!"

"Wash the bike!"

"It needs it even less!"

"Build you a house!"

"I DON'T WANT ONE!"

The villagers shook their heads in exasperation. Everyone could see, plain as day, the feelings Rui had for the local hero, the one she had dragged into the spotlight months ago by having him steal back all the Shadow Pokémon in the region and purify them. Why the boy didn't catch on was beyond them. Or perhaps he had, but didn't feel the same way?

Rui was still listing excuses as 'Wes' reached the bike and let the twins hop into the sidecar. He climbed on and lifted the visor, looking her straight in the eye. That never failed to shut her up and make her go absolutely still. His eyes were so strange and unusually colored, a golden hue that reminded her of some wild animal ready to strike down its prey. She had found them beautiful and fascinating upon first sight, and she went quiet and still to look into them and find out what soul lay within them.

"I am going to leave and you are not going to follow me. If I feel like it, I might come back, but I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you. Do you understand?" he told her in a slow, commanding tone, the same he had used to get the Shadow Pokémon to listen to him and adjust. Rui nodded slowly, unable to pull her gaze away from his eyes. The visor dropped and she snapped back to alertness. "Good." 'Wes' muttered and started the ignition, speeding off before she could call out his name again, the winds and dust nearly knocking her over. Rui coughed for a few minutes and watched the receding trail of sand sadly. With a sigh, she trudged back into town.

* * *

The desert region of Orre was vast and deadly to those who didn't know how to live with its harshness. 'Wes' knew better than most how to survive in the desert heat. White strip of zinc oxide freshly painted across the bridge of his nose and underneath his eyes, he studied the team of Pokémon he had assembled for the day's training. There were his loyal friends, the twins, Jupiter the Espeon and Pluto the Umbreon; Entei, stolen from Dakkim, a Cipher Admin; Absol, stolen from a trainer in the Realgam Colosseum; and Plusle, a gift from Duking, the leader of Pyrite Town.

"Okay, everyone! I'm pairing you up with a sparring partner! We're working on evasive maneuvers today!" he called out, "Each of you will take a turn being attacked by Plusle! You will attempt to dodge the attacks for five minutes! First hit means you go back to the line and try again!" The Plusle scampered up to him and leaped up onto his shoulder, resting on the shoulder armor that was part of the Snag Machine. "Get through the five minutes without a hit and you'll be rewarded with this!" 'Wes' declared and grinned, holding up a bottle of Vivid Scent cologne, the light playing off of the pale blue liquid within the tall, slender bottle. The Pokémon all perked up noticeably. "I have enough for all of you, IF you can do as I have asked!"

For several minutes, 'Wes' called out for Plusle to unleash bolts of lightning upon the Pokémon, one after another, and watched them dodge and dance about, avoiding the electric attacks. A rare call of praise from him would encourage the entire team to work harder. The training was going well, until the winds suddenly grew fierce. 'Wes' looked towards the east and frowned at the dark clouds rolling in.

"Sandstorm." he grumbled and sighed, "Everyone! Return!" He called back the Pokémon into their balls and ran for a nearby cave with Jupiter and Pluto at his side. He had already parked the speeder bike in the lee of the stone, a precaution he had learned to take after several storms left him without transportation in his early days as a thief.

As the winds and sand raged outside, 'Wes' settled back and leaned against the rock, watching it blow past. The training, though interrupted, could easily be resumed once the storm passed. He wasn't set up to train the group in storms yet, that would wait until he had the proper supplies for it, supplies that would bite into his funds rather heavily, as the scents had done. He shrugged and pet Jupiter on the head, then paused when Pluto suddenly growled towards the back of the cave, where it was darkest.

"What's the matter, boy?" 'Wes' murmured and followed the Umbreon's glare.

A pair of scarlet eyes, shaped much like his own but set far above his height, glared back at him, the last thing 'Wes' would see.

* * *

He hadn't been gone more than four days (during which Rui had scrubbed clean every dish in the house, straightened her room, cleaned the guest room Wes had used, vacuumed every floor in the house and bought several bottles of a cologne she didn't even like simply because they were on sale and the color of the bottle reminded her of his jacket) before he returned to Agate Village. Four days, and he was back on her grandparents' doorstep by dawn of the fifth day, half-conscious and weight supported by the joint efforts of his Umbreon and the Absol.

With Eagun and Beluh tending to wounds, burns and a fever, Rui sat in a corner, knees pulled up to her chest, and cried. The Snag Machine, though still in one piece, was badly charred alongside the forearm structure. The Umbreon and Absol sat beside her, nuzzling as best they could to comfort her despite their own injuries. She watched through tears as her grandfather bandaged the young man's throwing arm, the one that supported the Snag Machine. His jacket and shirt had been badly burnt, and now lay forgotten on the coffee table as he lay on the couch.

"I should have followed him. I could have helped him. What happened? Grandpa, what happened to Wes?" Rui choked out at last.

"Not sure. We'll find out when he wakes up completely." Eagun remarked and raised his eyebrows when the boy coughed and turned to look at them through half-lidded eyes. "Wes?"

"Seth." he whispered hoarsely, "My name is Seth." Rui crawled up to him and looked confused. "I know I said my name was Wes... but that was a lie." he murmured.

"What happened out there?" Rui asked, ignoring the corrections. Wes... Seth winced and turned back to gaze up at the ceiling. "Wes?"

"You're going to keep calling me that until I die, aren't you?" he murmured, "And I'm not sure what happened. I was in the desert, training, and a sandstorm rolled in. I took shelter in a cave and the last thing I can remember is seeing something moving inside. I don't even know how I got back here."

"Well, you're safe now. That's all that matters. You need to rest and recover. Save your strength." Eagun told him and got up, "I'm too old to be carrying people up those stairs, but I can bring down a blanket and some pillows so you can be comfortable. Beluh, can you get some potions and tend to the boy's Pokémon?" The two elders headed off to do their part, leaving Rui kneeling by Seth's side.

"I told you that you'd need me, but you didn't listen." she accused half-heartedly. Seth laughed and she blinked in surprise. It was rare to hear him laugh, mostly because every laugh she had heard from him had been that sinister one he used on trainers that threatened peace. She heard it when he fought Gonzap, when he battle Nascour, and again when he battled Fein, the master of disguise who had destroyed his reputation. For months after that he had gone into hiding, disgusted by the fact that people had been fooled by the imposter. Rui was left stranded in Agate Village, returning from a request to find a particular juice for him to find he had disappeared with hardly a note as to why. It took a lot of work to coax him back and he kept that distrust of people since then. He'd had it before, but it was more pronounced now.

"Don't be a fool. If you had come with me, you'd have been killed." Seth murmured, looking at her from the corners of his eyes, "I've lived out in that desert all my life. I can withstand things that would destroy any other person." Rui pouted.

"Fat load of good it did you and your Pokémon! Coming back mangled and half-dead!" she scolded.

"Better that than mutilated and all dead." Seth teased softly, closing his eyes as Eagun returned with the blanket and pillows.

"Not really." Rui shot back.

"Ah, fighting again, I see. He must be healing more quickly than I thought." the old man said with a smile, spreading the blanket onto the boy carefully. He pat Rui on the shoulder and led her away, leaving Beluh to attend to the Pokémon and Seth to sleep the fever away. She looked back at him with a slightly worried expression. What had been in the cave and would he be crazy enough to go back for another look at what had attacked him?


	2. Run Away

Hey all. Changed the name a bit. Didn't like the test name. Things get a bit testy, that's okay. Hope everyone's enjoying this so far!

* * *

Ch 2

Morning brought news from The Under of a mysterious beast that would roam the wilds at night and attack towns and people. It had been rampaging the Orre region for several weeks but this had been the first the creature was spotted heading into a city to hunt down a particular person. The victim managed to escape, but was badly injured and was unable to comment on the creature's looks. Seth frowned as Rui watched the television, munching on an apple for breakfast. He had gotten soup and was propped up with pillows after finishing it.

"That sounds familiar." Rui remarked, looking back at him, "What do you think, Wes? Is that the thing that attacked you?" He shrugged, then winced at the motion, a majority of the injuries were to his back and shoulders. She sighed and picked up the ruined clothing, resuming work on patching and sewing them up. "What could it be then? A Shadow Pokémon that we might have overlooked, perhaps?" she asked as she started on the left sleeve of the jacket, the more heavily damaged of the sleeves.

"It can't be. I stole every single Pokémon Cipher used in creating the Shadow Pokémon, and I stole every single one back." Seth told her firmly, "When Team Snagem said I was the best Snagger they had, they meant it!"

"Weren't there others?" Rui asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Of course, but they didn't have as high a Snag record as I did." Seth replied and winced as Jupiter leaped up onto the sofa and nuzzled his cheek, the Espeon had been the more badly injured of the twins, but recovered quickly with the use of its Morning Sun ability. "Jupiter! Come on, I'm bedridden here! Go play outside with Pluto or something!" he exclaimed between laughs as it proceeded to lick at his cheek. Rui smiled and eyed her work carefully. The sleeve looked good as new, so she moved on to the main body of the jacket. Jupiter leaped off and headed off to find its brother, a cheerful look on its face.

"Did you snag Jupiter and Pluto too?" Rui asked after finishing work on the jacket and moving on to the shirt.

"Yes and no. I stole the eggs they came in when I was a young thief working for Team Snagem. I raised them up from that. I was kind of surprised to find that the eggs were twins and Eevees at that." Seth replied evasively, "They evolved into Espeon and Umbreon on the same day; Jupiter in the morning and Pluto sometime in the evening after a bit of a jealousy issue."

Eagun stepped in to check on the two and grinned brightly upon seeing Seth up and talking. A drastic change from the night before, the boy was healing far more quickly than he had thought. It was a good sign, but at the same time, it was strangely worrisome. He was wearing a spare over-shirt that had been his son's, Rui's father, to keep Rui from being a constant shade of pink and to protect the bandages that nearly covered Seth's whole body.

"Good morning, Grandpa!" Rui greeted brightly. Eagun nodded at her and studied the trainer.

"Good morning, Rui, Wes. How are you feeling?" he replied. Seth rolled his eyes briefly as he got up and tossed the blanket aside.

"I give. If you want to keep calling me that, fine. I don't care." he grumbled, "And I'm feeling better, thanks." Rui picked up the clothes and smiled at him.

"These have to get washed first, before you can use them again." she remarked, "I'll see if Elenore at the Day Care Center has some spare clothes for you. Be right back!" She hurried off with the jacket and shirt in her arms. Seth watched her leave, then picked up the Snag Machine and a cloth, carefully polishing it and looking for damage.

"Wes, can you describe what it was that attacked you? Can you remember anything more about what happened?" Eagun asked, sitting in a chair opposite the young man. Seth hesitated in his cleaning, then resumed the circular motions.

"I was two days into the training. Third day, a sandstorm brews and I take cover in a cave. I hear something moving and..." he closed his eyes and sat back, struggling to recall what had happened. "It moved so fast. It was huge, but it moved like lightning. I was on the floor, and there was a burning down my back, like claws that had raked down it. Something closed over my waist." Seth shook his head and glared at the machine in his hands. "I felt hot air, breaths being taken, something like jaws clamping down around my waist. I was being lifted up, the ground pulled away. Then there was bright light and I was dropped. Fire, something screamed, and then darkness. I don't remember anything else."

"This thing that attacked you tried to eat you?" Eagun asked in quiet horror. Seth shook his head and finished examining the machine, deciding it was still in good condition.

"I don't think so. If it wanted to devour me, it wouldn't have bothered restraining its power. The jaws that grabbed me were trying not to dig in too hard." he answered, "I think, more than anything, it was trying to take me somewhere."

* * *

Rui skipped along the hills and slopes, beaming. Wes was back, whether or not it was his name she would still call him that, and he was staying with her. Of course, he hadn't actually said he was going to do that, but in his condition, he would need an able girl like her around to help him stay safe and healthy. Her bag swung beside her, the clean clothes she had borrowed stowed safely within and the jacket and shirt back at her grandparents' home, hanging on a line to dry. She poked her head into the house and called out a cheery hello. Eagun looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Rui, you just missed him. He's upstairs. Do be careful around him, I believe he suffered a bit of a fright from that strange creature that attacked him." he told her. Rui cocked her head in confusion.

"A fright? I've never seen Wes afraid..." she trailed as she suddenly remembered the first time they had taken the UFO in The Under up to the windmill in Pyrite. He had suddenly stiffened and backed up against her, eyes closed tightly. He'd done the same in the elevators of Realgam Tower. The thought of his being afraid of the heights hadn't occurred to her, she had just taken each opportunity as a chance to sneak her arms around him and rest her cheek on his back.

"Okay, Grandpa. I'll be careful." she finished and ran up the stairs, "Wes! I've got some fresh clothes for you!"

She found him in his room, looking out the window at the town. He had probably watched her skip up to the house. She blushed and shook her head. Well, that's what she gets for not thinking of what he was capable of doing. Putting on a smile, she knocked and he turned to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Look what I got!" Rui declared and dumped a pile of clothing onto the bed, "Ellie had a lot of old clothes from her grandsons and said you could have some! Isn't she the best?" Wes picked up a shirt and studied the cowboy pattern, then turned a blank stare at her. Rui faltered and went still, caught in the gaze again. "It's... all... she... had..." she whispered and blinked when he returned to picking through the clothes again. Did he have any idea what his eyes did to her? Probably, it might explain why he did it so much.

"I'll work with it. Thanks." Wes muttered, the tone insinuating her immediate absence. She hurried out and heard the click of a lock in place. What, like she was going to try to barge in on him as soon as he started changing?

Well, it had been a thought...

Rui contented with using the PDA left on the coffee table to contact the kids in The Under for news on what had happened with the monster in Pyrite. The response came in the form of a photo attachment. Captain Sherles had been the victim of the attack. Confused further by the news, she headed upstairs again to report it to Wes, and to see if he was done changing.

"Wes! News!" she called through the door.

"I'm not coming out until you change that way of thinking!"

"What?!"

"I said I'm not coming out! You keep calling me the wrong name!"

"Are you wearing the shirt with the rabbit print?!"

"Go away!"

She decided to wait a little longer for him.

* * *

Seth picked through the pile on the bed, other clothes strewn about the room. So far he had chucked the cowboy print into the far corner the second Rui had stepped out. There were several checkered prints of various colors. Those were sent flying one after another upon consideration of the coloring and his image. The rabbit print made him shudder, and Rui's question of if he were wearing it didn't help. That joined the cowboy print. He pulled out a simple blue shirt, a deep royal color that appealed to him. Seth checked the size and sighed. It was a size too small. Shrugging, then wincing, he pulled it on and checked the mirror. It was a bit more snug than he would have liked, but it was the best he could do in his situation. Sighing, he unlocked the door and returned to the mirror for one last look at himself, grabbing up the Snag Machine and reattaching it to his arm as he did. The door opened slowly behind him; he heard Rui trying to be quiet doing so but, as usual, failing miserably at it. He hid a smile. Seth waited for her to say something about the mess he had made, but she was unusually quiet this time. He looked back at her, eyebrow raised. Rui was staring at him, face a slight shade of red. He ignored it, picking up the small jar of zinc oxide and applying a strip across his face. He set it down and walked to the door, expecting Rui to step aside for him as she usually did.

"Mmph." Rui muttered in a muffled voice. Seth frowned slightly and turned his eyes heavenward. She hadn't moved, winding up with her face planted in his chest as he tried to walk out.

"Rui, what are you doing?" he sighed with an exasperated shake of his head. She stumbled backwards, her face a deeper red.

"I'm s-sorry! I didn't know you were going out!" she stammered, looking incredibly embarrassed and guilty, "That shirt looked hot... I mean great! I mean, it's good!" She stopped abruptly when he placed his fingers lightly over her mouth and stared straight into her eyes.

"I think it would be best if you stopped talking now." he told her slowly, "We can both forget this happened and save you a little face later on." Seth pulled away and walked on down the stairs, leaving her confused and still a bit red-faced.

* * *

Rui caught up with him as he was heading into the kitchen, clutching the PDA in her hands. She hadn't remembered to tell him the news she learned until after he had left her behind. Wes stopped at the stove and looked back at her in suspicion as he readied it for cooking.

"The Under sent word that Sherles was the victim in Pyrite Town. The strange monster attacked him." she told him.

"When?" he asked, setting a pan out and dumping strips of meat into it for cooking. Rui blinked and checked the mail.

"Um, yesterday evening." she answered, "Nett says they don't know why he was attacked, just that he was pretty badly injured and had claw marks on his back." He looked back at her with a frown as he added other ingredients to the dish.

"Sounds like the same thing that came after me. Any word on what else it did to him?" Wes asked. She shook her head and he resumed cooking. "I'll look into it later." he murmured and held out a plate of freshly fried bacon and eggs, "Here." Startled, Rui took the plate and watched him serve himself a portion and dig in hungrily. A toaster spat out a pair of freshly toasted slices of bread and he deftly plucked one free, tossed it to her, then used the other to mop up the juices on his plate. Rui always was stunned by how quickly and how much Wes could eat in one sitting. He looked so thin at times, but days of watching him showed he still had a decent build on him.

"Where does it all go?" she asked as he popped the last of the toast into his mouth and set the dishes away in the washer. Wes made a disgruntled noise and glared at her. She figured that would annoy him, but it was still a mystery to her. He would eat enough to fill a grown man, but it never added to his physique. Maybe he was immune to fat?

"The desert preys on those with thick flesh, the sun can kill them with their own stores, and the animals find them to be the slowest prey." he replied cryptically and headed outside, making sure to bring the visor down over his eyes. Rui looked blank, then gobbled her food quickly to join him.

"Wait! Where are we going?!" she cried.

"Didn't I just get through telling you to stay here?" Wes grumbled as he went around to the line and collected the clothes hanging there. They weren't completely dry yet, so he folded and stashed them under an arm. Rui nearly choked on the piece of bread still in her mouth. He was wearing the Snag Machine! The red and black device rested on his shoulder and forearm, connected by a thick red cable that twisted around the length of his arm. Because it was a little on the heavy side, Wes normally wore it over the jacket sleeve to protect his arm from scrapes and burns as it shifted on him. On the plus side, wearing it made his left arm stronger.

"Wes! You can't wear that without the jacket to protect you! Your arm is still badly burned!" Rui cried, tagging after him as he whistled for the twins and walked on to the bike.

"Here we go again." he grumbled under his breath, "Rui, I'm fine. I'm not going to die from wearing the machine." Jupiter and Pluto fell in step beside him. "I'm going to Pyrite to investigate the attack and see what the creature was that is causing all this ruckus." he told her and tossed the clothes into the sidecar with the twins. Rui put on her most sorrowful face and looked up at him pleadingly.

"Pleeeease! Take me with you! I can help! I'll keep you away from dark caves and stuff!" she begged.

"Rui, will you just...?" Wes started to say as he climbed onto the bike and hissed in pain. The Snag Machine had shifted and dug into the wounds on his back. Rui yelped and reached up to readjust it, easing the pain.

"I'll change the bandages for you. You can't do that alone." she pointed out softly.

"Fine." Wes conceded at last and held out a pair of Poké Balls, "Sorry, guys. In the balls." Jupiter and Pluto whined as they were enveloped in the energy fields from the two devices and vanished in bursts of light. Rui smiled brightly as she hopped into the car. "Just try not to get carried away with your 'healing touch'." he added as he started the ignition and drove off to the south.

* * *

Pyrite Town was known for the honorable scoundrels and rouges that inhabited the area. So of course Seth was greatly welcome there. It only served to make him a touch more sour than usual. Fateena waved to catch their attentions as the two walked towards Duking's house. Rui tugged lightly on his arm and headed to her. Rolling his eyes, Seth followed. He wasn't one to rely on the words of a fortune-teller to find his way through life. He paved his own path with blood, sweat, and tears, though a lot heavier on the first two than the last.

"Hello, Madame Fateen!" Rui greeted cheerfully, giving her a polite bow. The old woman smiled warmly at her, then watched with a neutral expression as Seth walked up to them. "Have you heard what happened to Captain Sherles? Wasn't it just awful?"

"I know of it. The beast dropped him once it saw he did not have what its masters sought." she replied and crooked a wrinkled finger at Seth, "Come here, young man, and let Fateen tell you of your path." He took a step closer, unwilling to just follow her instructions. "I can see that the creature came for you, too."

"What gave it away, I wonder?" Seth muttered, holding up the bandaged Snagging arm mockingly. Fateen shook her head.

"It will come again for you, where rivers run from dry beds. An enemy you thought to be gone shall rise again on silver wings, and the light will be the blade to strike the beast asunder!" she decreed in a loud and powerful voice, "You would do well to plan your attacks carefully, Wesley." He curled a lip back at the name. Some fortune-teller, she didn't even know what his real name was.

"Whatever. Let's go, Rui." he grumbled and stalked away. She hurriedly thanked the woman and chased after him. "Waste of time and money."

"Wes, maybe we should listen to her. She's been right about a lot of things before." Rui suggested as they knocked on Duking's door. He gave her a look to shut her up and looked down at the small boy that opened the door for them.

"Oh, hi, Wes and Rui! Come on in and meet with Secc! She's waiting for you!" he cried and pulled him in by the hand. Seth allowed himself to be led about, Rui tagging after. Taken into the secret room by the boy, Seth and Rui met with the founder of the Kids Grid, Secc.

"Oh, hey there! I'm glad you came! We have some additional information for you...!" the brunette remarked as she saw them. She took in the bandages on Seth and gasped, "What happened to you?! Did that shadow monster get you, too?!" Seth nodded. "How strange, that it attacked you and Capt. Sherles only." she wondered aloud, "It's like it was chasing down people with gray hair. It nearly went after Silva, but he used a Manetric's Flash ability to drive it away. That thing really doesn't like light."

"It doesn't?" Seth murmured, "Then that's why it dropped me in the cave. One of my Pokémon must have used Sunny Day or some other move to create a light. The shadow beast fled from it." Rui clapped her hands together and looked at him.

"That's it! 'The light will be the blade to strike the beast asunder!' Fateena knew that light will destroy the shadow monster!" she declared.

"We're trying to find out what it is and where it came from. Nett said he would get more information on it when he can. In the meantime, Wes, I'd hide somewhere if I were you." Secc pointed out, "So be careful and good luck."

* * *

Rui thought over the information as she and Wes walked back to the speeder bike. The prophetic words of Fateen ran around in her head as Wes reached into the side car and pulled out the dried clothing. She focused on trying to figure out the meaning of the words as he quickly changed back into the black shirt and blue jacket, slinging the Snag Machine back onto his arm at the end of it and wincing slightly as it jabbed the bandages in back.

"What could the evil with silver wings be?" Rui wondered aloud and looked over at him. He shrugged, winced again, and climbed onto the bike again. She mentally kicked herself for missing seeing him strip off the blue t-shirt, then climbed into the sidecar. "'Where rivers run from dry beds, it will come again for you.' Wes! The monster is going to come after you again in a place that has rivers in dry beds!" she cried as he drove off towards the desert.

"I know. That's good." he replied, flicking the visor down over his eyes. She stared up at him. "I want to get another shot at that thing. For revenge, you understand."

"But what about what Fateen said?!" Rui wailed.

"Rui, look, we're going to Agate Village. You get to work on keeping tabs with the Grid on what info comes in. I'll work on getting ready to fight that monster again." Wes replied over the noise of the heat-pipes. Rui sighed and sat back, worried. Then she brightened, an idea striking her.

"Wes! Turn back! I want to go to The Under!" she shouted. He looked at her in confusion, parted lips the only clue she had to his expression. "Trust me on this! Go back!"

"This better be worth it." he grumbled as he leaned aside and spun the bike around to zip back towards Pyrite's general direction.

* * *

The Under wasn't exactly one of Seth's most favorite places. Lady Venus, a Cipher Admin, had ruled there once. He wasn't impressed with her temper tantrums when she lost to him, twice. Her battle, though harder than Seth had thought it would have been, was lost, and he snagged her Suicune, which now sat purified and content in the confines of the PC database.

He cringed as they boarded the UFO to cross the gap from the Under Colosseum to the rest of the city. After the initial ride to the Deep, he had gotten the idea that he was still very high up in the air. He hated heights, but not any heights, though. He hated extreme heights, the ones that people warned him would make him get vertigo if he looked down; the ones that, when he did look, he would feel the overwhelming urge to just close his eyes and fall forward, ending his existance and that of the Snag Machine.

This was that type of height; the one that made him contemplate the ending of his own miserable life, but the fall would take so long...

Seth gasped slightly, stepping back and stiffening at the idea of himself falling and falling. Rui was trying her cuddling act again. It helped to distract him from the image so he focused on her arms hugging him from behind. The UFO stopped gently on the other side and he pulled away in a rush, then caught himself and walked off as if nothing had happened. Rui sighed behind him and tagged after as he headed for Nett's house, the place that she had whined she needed to visit so badly.

"I'll wait out here and stock up on some things." Seth told her, "You finish your business and meet me at the elevator."

"The UFO's faster. I can help you get over your fear of heights." Rui pointed out and squeaked when he glared at her. She rushed into the house and he stormed away. How did she find out about that? Who had told her?! It was a fact that he had been able to keep secret from even Gonzap, his former boss.

"Stupid, lousy..." he growled under his breath, but didn't finish. He didn't know what to focus the anger on, so he just held it in and let it simmer until it finally died out on him. He made his way to the vending machine on the second level. A soda would cool his head and no doubt the twins would love a can of lemonade each.

Seth returned with a loaded pack and begrudgingly walked to the UFO after entering the appropriate disk to activate it. It took them across and again, he refused to move or open his eyes to the chasm below him. He didn't spend years under Gonzap's eye and thumb, not to mention a few beatings here and there, just to turn into a quivering mass of jelly at anything higher than four stories. Whatever it was that Rui wanted so badly had better have been worth the wretched images in his mind's eye.

--

Agate Village's serenely scenic views were almost welcome to him now. Parking the speeder in a safe spot, he stalked towards the Relic Forest, Rui tagging after him all the way. He looked back at her in irritation.

"Will you leave me alone?" he growled, "I have things to do and I don't need you around to do them." Rui stopped and looked hurt. Seth turned forward to avoid her seeing the same expression on his own. He hated doing that to her, but the sooner she got the idea that she was going to be cut loose, the better. The lands beyond Orre, the ones known as Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, the lands Team Snagem would have killed to have access to, were filled with wild Pokémon. They were far different than the barren, desolate wasteland he lived in, a region where criminals ruled. Even though Cipher and Snagem were gone, other syndicates were growing, seeking to claim the throne they left. Rui would eventually move on to those other lands, the safer, life-filled lands. He would remain here, and the desert would take him the same way it bore him, alone and unknown.

It seemed fitting.

"I had things to do, too. So, okay. I'll see you at dinner?" Rui asked quietly, hopefully.

"Maybe." Seth muttered, walking into the forest. Rui sighed and ran off.

* * *

She sat in her room, turning the two small chips over in her hands. Nett had put them together after listening to her story. Her fears of losing Wes to the shadow beast drove her to finding a way to track him if he ever went missing. Nett told her firmly that the first tracking chip should be placed on the Snag Machine, the second on Wes directly in case anything happened to the portable snagger device. Getting the Snag Machine away from him long enough to plant the chip would be akin to having an act of God granted on the spot; however, getting the chip on Wes may be a little easier.

Rui quickly unclasped the band she wore around her neck and unhooked the tiny moon charm that dangled from it. She was good at making jewelry, they weren't exactly stellar, but she made do with bits of wire and other materials. The moon charm was one such bit of insulated wire, bent several times to look like a solid piece of metal. She worked it around the chip, fashioning an interesting design to disguise the tracker. Clipping it back onto the band, she eyed it critically. Yes, it would do. Now she had to figure out how to get him to wear it and keep it on.

Running to the Relic Forest, she kept her eyes open for Wes. He could sit on any of the myriad trees and boulders in the forest beneath Agate, and he often did, gazing out at the green foliage with a strange mix of agitation, apprehension and respect on his face. Now she only heard the lilting and captivating notes of the Time Flute.

"The Relic Stone." Rui murmured and ran to the relic in a meadow not far from her current spot. She sighed wistfully as she spotted him. Wes sat on the stone, how he got up there to begin with was beyond her, playing the flute. He had his eyes closed, he always closed them when playing, and the twin Eons on the stone podium danced about happily. Several other Pokemon, the few wild ones left in Orre that considered the Relic Forest to be the safe haven of the region, came out of hiding carefully, watching Wes for any movements and letting the music dictate their own motions. Amid the bright sunlight and the rainbow of Pokémon, he seemed to be the dark spot in the center, a black hole that drew in all the emotions of fear, distrust, and hatred from them to himself. It was almost as if, through the music of the Time Flute, he was trying to purify all the Pokémon in the area, not from having hearts closed artificially, but from having them sealed away from people that would truly care for them and love them because of fear of Team Snagem and others like them.

The music faded as she walked carefully up to him and Wes looked down at her, bringing the visor down to cover his eyes. She was both relieved and disappointed by that. The Pokémon that drifted towards Wes now melted back into the forest, waiting for another chance to hear the music and to learn to trust humans again.

"Wes, I made something for you." she remarked brightly, holding up the necklace in her hands. Wes jumped down from the stone and cocked his head, studying the offering. "It's something I made and I want you to have it." she added. He took the band and studied the round chip criss-crossed with yellow wire in some dizzying pattern. "Need help putting it on?" she asked hopefully.

"I think I can handle it. Thanks." Wes murmured and, after a moment of hesitation, clasped it around his own neck. Rui looked relieved, she had thought he wouldn't buy the story but now he was on the Kids Grid mapping interface, tracked by Nett's mini GPS system through Cipher's old satellites. In addition to the tracking chips, Nett had given her a PDA of her own, with the function to follow the signal emitted by the chips.

"Okay, I'll see you later then!" Rui chirped and skittered away.

* * *

Seth walked up the gentle slopes towards Eagun's home, noting the evening lights being put out in windows to light up the village. Again, he regarded the odd charm on his new necklace with suspicion. The design was simple, yet it made him think of those blasted chasms he hated, and he couldn't get over the feeling that Rui had been up to something. She was all too eager to give it to him and then run away like that. Was she finally getting the idea that he wasn't worth the trouble she would get into by tagging after him? The thought was oddly depressing.

He rolled the flute in his hands, the curled end that bent the notes and made them eerie and beautiful, the long silvery shaft with its delicately engraved symbols. At times, Seth would study them and the more he stared at them, the more he was convinced that he could almost read the symbols and find out what the legend was behind the Time Flute and the tiny Pokémon known as Celebi. Senilor had said that playing the flute would summon Celebi and the flute would shatter once it came, but there were several of these flutes scattered around the world. Seth had found two of them in Orre. The first, given to him by Vander on Mt. Battle, he had used to summon Celebi and purify the Entei he now had on his team. When it shattered in his hands, he felt a sense of loss that quickly disappeared. He couldn't afford to be soft in Orre. The desert would ruthlessly destroy him if he ever turned soft-hearted.

Seth had seemed to know the proper song for the Time Flute almost the moment he held the instrument in his hands. It had unnerved him the first time, but he eventually got to pushing the feeling out of his mind. The second flute he found in Pyrite's windmill, of all places, and remained with him to this day. He learned new tunes out of experimentation, but never played Celebi's Summon again. The idea of losing the only flute he had left was not pleasant. He put the flute away.

He moved his arm and tested his shoulders, grinning in pleasure at the fact that they no longer ached and stung. The injuries must have either healed or he had become accustomed to the pain. He believed the latter reason more. Gonzap's beatings trained him to accept pain as an everyday evil, especially if he did something wrong. He didn't become the best Snagger out of loyalty to the gang or for the 'wondrous perks'. He did it to keep his skin on his back, what little there was left after some nine odd years of work with them. Seth calculated the time in his head as he reached the house. He had been seven when he was thrust, rather unceremoniously, into Gonzap's hands, five years later he became a Snagger for them after they received the machines, four more and he blew out the base after they tried to take Jupiter and Pluto from him, one since the end of Cipher and Snagem; he was seventeen now.

He felt like he was forty.

"I could retire now, you know that?" Seth remarked to the twins walking with him. They looked up at him and cocked their heads. "But then I'd be bored out of my mind." he added and entered the house.

"Wes! We're having beef stew!" Rui declared and leaped at him for a crushing hug the moment he stepped into the little house. The sudden rush caught him off guard and, before he could stop himself, Seth had stepped out of 'the line of fire', held out his arm and caught her across the chin, knocking her head back on her neck as he spun to kick her aside. She looked dazed for a moment as she lay sprawled on the floor, then burst into wailing tears.

"Rui!" Seth cried in shock and cringed. What an idiot he was, to stay with this innocent girl for so long! He still had no control over his body when years of conditioning kicked in. The very thing that kept him alive for so long now hurt the one person that dared to attach herself to him of her own free will. Eagun and Beluh rushed in to see what had happened as he bent to help her and check her for injuries.

A bruise was forming on her chin and side where he had lashed out, but nothing as devastating as the tears running down her face. Seth held his hands a short distance from her as he watched her, too afraid of his own reflexes to touch her. He murmured apologies over and over as the elderly couple helped her to her feet and led her away. He let them go on without him and leaned against the wall heavily. The twins had jumped at the attack and were in a readied stance not far from him. They had been waiting for a signal to join in, but upon seeing that danger had passed, relaxed and looked to him for an explanation.

Seth glared down at his hands, clenching them tightly into fists that bit into his palms. He hated himself at that moment, hated who he was, what he was, where he came from and what he did. That attack, that 'self-defense', he had used. It was only because of some still conscious part of his mind altering his movements that Rui survived it. Normally, the blows he had dished out would have crippled a person, if it didn't kill them outright from a broken neck. He had moved his arm to follow her head movement, cushioning the impact; used the sole of his boot, not the side, to kick her, spreading the force of the attack over a wider area; all in attempts to get her away without seriously hurting her.

Except he hadn't been able to cushion the emotional damage.

The Eons jumped at the sudden slamming of bone on wood and stared at Seth, who had spun and punched the wall with all his strength. The sharp pain felt oddly pleasant, deserving. He pulled away and studied the bloody mark left on the wall from his right hand. Now was a good time to leave. He whistled to the twins and left the house.

Few noticed the speeder make an unusually quiet exit from Agate Village, fewer still noted the path it made to the southeast, towards the abandoned Shadow Pokémon Laboratory, the Realgam Tower, and Phenac City.


	3. Memories of a Renegade

Wes tends to be a bit nutty, as you will soon see...

* * *

Ch 3

Rui rubbed at the sore spot in her side and hiccuped again. Her crying had stopped but she still felt hurt by the attack. What had she done? Did he find out about the necklace? She picked up the PDA as her grandfather rushed into the room.

"Rui! Come quickly!" he told her and hurried off again. Startled, Rui jumped from her bed, winced a bit, then followed him down to the front door of the house. Beluh stood there already, wringing her hands as she stared in shock at the red stain on the wall beside it, tiny rivulets running down and drying into a rust color.

"What is that?" Rui asked, peering at the stain. She sniffed and recoiled, "Ick! Blood! Yuck! Where did that come from?!"

"I heard something crack and came down to see what it was and Wes was gone. I saw that stain and ooooh!" Beluh wailed in worry, "What has that boy done to himself?!" Rui looked out the window and checked for the speeder as well as the Pokémon. There were no signs of them. Had he left after all? Had he finally given up on her and just left? She opened the PDA and checked the map, crossing her fingers that the tracker worked.

A blinking light on a rough map of Orre lit up almost the moment the function was activated. Every few seconds it would update itself, and the tiny spot moved closer to Phenac City. Rui switched to the e-mail function and typed one out quickly.

"Wes! Come back! Please!" she begged, "I'm fine! Really! I don't even feel it anymore!" She waited anxiously for a reply, but none came. The tracker continued on to Phenac, but began curving to the Outskirt Stand, a broken down locomotive engine that served as a diner and trade post. If he was headed there, he must be trying to stock up on supplies. For what, she didn't know. "Wes! Wes! Please! Reply! Come back!" she urged, feeling the hot tears returning to her eyes. Again, no reply. "Wes! Please! I promise I won't jump you for a hug again! It was a stupid move, okay? It's my fault I got hurt, so please come back!" The blip finally stopped moving.

_"The attack was my fault. Not yours. Don't ever blame yourself for things that I do."_ a reply finally came as the tiny light remained motionless on the map.

"Then please come back and apologize, or something! What happened to the wall? Are you okay?" Rui answered with more questions, desperate to lead him back to Agate.

_"That was nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm perfectly fine. And I don't deserve to come back. I'm not what you think I am."_ Wes replied.

"Yes, you are! You're my gallant prince! You protect me from all the mean Snagem and Cipher baddies!" Rui laughed forcefully as she typed the words.

_"But there is no one to protect you from me. Rui, it's probably best this way. No, definitely. The longer I stay with you, the more dangers you'll be in. Trust me. You don't want me with you."_

"You come back to me right now, or I'll tell Nett and Secc to keep bugging you with e-mails until you do!" Rui tried to threaten, realizing how weak it sounded even as she sent the message. Minutes passed as she watched the tracker, waiting for a response. It finally came.

_"Fine. I forgot to eat dinner anyway, and you know how I feel about missing meals."_ The light began to zip back to Agate Village and she sat back in relief. Now all that was left was to figure out what to do about the shadow beast.

Wes showed up an hour or so later, right hand bandaged and a poker's face on. He wasn't going to be talking about it or the bloodstain anytime soon, so Rui was forced to drop the subject before she could even bring it up. He sat at the dinner table and propped his cheek on his injured fist, barely wincing at it. With the reflective visor still covering his eyes, Rui wasn't able to tell if he was watching her or not.

"Nett gave me a little chip he was working on to help deal with the monster." she started to say carefully.

"Does it have a homing ability?" Wes asked suddenly and she froze in the middle of serving him stew. Had he found out what she had done? Was he mad? What was going to happen now? She struggled to keep her voice steady as she finished pouring the portion out.

"Yes, actually. He thought that it would help to keep tabs on the monster if it got put on it." Rui answered and placed the bowl before him. The elders had decided to leave them alone, but were still somewhat wary of the events from earlier. They slept uneasily in the upstairs bedroom.

"Good. I came up with something while out in the desert. You seem to be good at crafts." Wes remarked and held up his arm, showing her the Snag Machine. "Do you think you could make something to look like this? A copy of this machine?" Rui paused in the middle of eating her own stew, staring at him in shock.

"Wh-what?! You want me to build a Snag Machine?!" she yelped. Wes shook his head.

"No, I just need a fake version, something that looks like the machine, but isn't." he explained and looked confused. She could tell that even with the visor hiding most of his expressions. He floundered for the right words between mouthfuls of beef and vegetables. "It should look like the Snag Machine on the outside, but it won't have anything on the inside. Like it's empty. It would be lighter, but that can't be helped." he went on and finally spread his hands in defeat. "Something made to look like it? Like out of things we can find or buy around here?" he finished lamely. Rui smiled and giggled. He immediately frowned, offended by the reaction. "I find very little humor in what it is I'm trying to say." he grumbled.

"No, no! I'm sorry. What you want is a cast made to resemble the Snag Machine." Rui told him. He nodded. "That's easy! I can make that! I just need some things from Phenac to make it work. I don't have all the paints and supplies for it here and it'll take too long to go to my house in Zirconia City." she added brightly and clapped her hands together, "So tomorrow, let's go to Phenac City!" Wes shrugged and resumed digging into the stew.

* * *

The trip to Phenac City was rather uneventful. Seth caught sight of a Skarmory flying overhead, following the two of them across the desert. He had seen a similar one, or perhaps they were the same, at the Snagem Hideout a year before, the same day he blew up the base and made off with the machine he wore on his arm. It was a bit of a comfort to see the old Pokémon still facing the desert's wraths. It was like a kindred spirit for him and made him reminisce about that day...

Seth had his reasons for abandoning Team Snagem. They had tried to take his Pokémon, Jupiter and Pluto, and make them into Shadow Pokémon. On top of that, they had brought in the larger Snag Machines from Cipher, designed to snag Pokémon en masse. In other words, they were to replace him. Seth didn't like the idea of being replaced by the ugly orange machines. They had been field tested, he was there to watch, and they had snagged close to a dozen Pokémon before running out of Snag Balls or getting kicked over by angry trainers. The balls were altered to go straight to Snagem's PC database upon capture, so kicking it to get them back did nothing, just wrecked the mechanical Snaggers.

Gonzap had grinned and elbowed him, snickering about how Seth would be outdated and, upon replacement, available to the same treatment the other members got. Seth had noticed the number of Snagger members dwindling, until he was the only one left. Machines came to take the place of the 'missing' Snaggers, all of their personal Snag Machines coming up destroyed completely. He made sure to keep his on him at all times.

"I don't see how these things will outperform me." Seth had growled in irritation, "Look at them. They take everything, even the weak ones. Have I ever come back to base with a dozen Wurmples? No. These machines won't be the end of me. Not by a long shot." That earned him a beating from Gonzap, all right, but then didn't everything else he did?

"Think you're hot stuff, don'tcha, kid?! I'm still your boss, no, your _master!, _and until you drop dead from work and heat, you're mine to do with as I please!" the hulking man had shouted, stomping his boot into his back as he struggled to pull away from the rock he had been thrown against. Seth had come away from that experience with a cheek rubbed raw from the sedimentary boulder, and a broken rib or two. He'd had a feeling that if Gonzap had done anything truly serious to him, Cipher would be all too willing to blow him away with extreme prejudice.

Hence, Gonzap's tough love for him.

Then the day came when the impossible had happened. Gonzap had personally ripped the Snag Machine from his arm, that stupid leering face breathing into his own, and would probably have killed him with his bare hands if it hadn't been for Jupiter and Pluto breaking free of their Poké Balls and biting his ass. Scrambling out of the room and to his own quarters, the Eons hot on his heels, Seth planned quickly. He had been expecting retribution for some time now, always pushing the limits around the roach known as Gonzap, seeing how much he could get away with before the man would snap and start thrashing him, and how bad the beatings would get before he'd halt abruptly and kick him away, resuming the abuse on some inanimate object or, better yet, some hapless Snagem member that had wanted to watch for a laugh. Now was the time to cut loose from the group. Team Snagem had been 'fun' for a while, but now that his limited guarantee at living had expired, it was time to look at other options.

Seth managed to sneak around that night and set up the explosives on the machines that were freshly shipped in from Cipher. He located the room that held his personal Snag Machine and marked it mentally. He'd have a chance at it soon enough. After that, it was only a matter of pulling together funds, Gonzap never knew that Seth had discovered the pass-code to the Snagem's safe; a ride outta there, the speeder bike was the best one in their arsenal of transportation units and his favorite; and supplies, stowed in a duffel bag in the side car.

The next morning went as normal, until that one Snagem member told him that Gonzap wanted him and his Pokémon in the office, ASAP. Seth knew right away what that meant; death for himself and Shadow slavery for his best friends, the twins. Instead of obeying, he made for the outer wall of the hideout, chucking a small dynamite pack wrapped in plastique at the marked spot and blowing it open. He could only imagine the looks on the gang's faces at the force that shook the hideout to the core, and upon making off with the Snag Machine and blowing to bits the others in storage, laughed in sheer, unbridled joy at having pulled one over on Gonzap.

How Seth had wished to see him pull out the elongated, roach antennae of a mustache he was so fond of wearing or the similarly styled hair on his nearly-bald head...

"Wes! We're here! Slow down!" Rui screamed and snapped him out of his reverie. He slammed the brake, spinning the bike aside and skidding to a halt just outside the city. Heart racing, he laughed, the near collision an exhilarating experience he wouldn't have missed for anything. Boredom never suited Seth.

Rui looked at him strangely as she climbed out of the bike's side seat. He didn't care, he was alive, he was free, he was a living insult and reminder to Gonzap, wherever the man may be rotting, that he was the victor in their long-standing feud! He whooped and howled and nearly fell over when Rui shook him forcefully.

"Wes! Stop it! You're acting insane! Now come on! We have to book a hotel room and get to work! I'm going to have to do the work here!" she yelled at him and yelped when he did fall, taking her along with him. "Wes?! What is the _matter_ with you?!"

"Nothing. Just enjoying myself." Seth murmured between chuckles as he rolled aside and got to his feet, dusting off the trench coat. He helped her stand and walked on to the city, still smiling at the wonderful, wonderful memories.

* * *

Rui selected the proper paints after comparing them to the machine on Wes's arm. She added them to the basket, along with plaster of paris and the strips of wood and metal she had picked out earlier. Wes's earlier insanity had passed and he now looked as if nothing had ever happened, waiting almost impatiently for her to finish gathering the materials. She didn't know what caused the temporary lunacy, but she was glad it was over. The sight of him laughing like that had scared her.

"Okay, that should do it. Let's get to the hotel." she said brightly as she took the items to the cashier. Wes paid for the art supplies and led her back to the Phenac Hotel. It was a new addition to the town, and a welcome one at that. Trainers from the other regions were coming in for registration and to participate in the colosseums. The city needed room for them all and business was booming for those who dabbled in Pokémon supplies and necessities. Rui beamed happily at the sight of the people flocking in from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, their Pokémon completely healthy and happy and trusting of the people around them.

"I'd like for us to see those lands one day." Rui murmured wistfully, "Think of all the new kinds of Pokémon that could be out there! Oh, look at that! It's a funny looking Beautifly!"

"Butterfree." Wes muttered and entered a room with the key the front desk clerk had given him. Rui blinked and followed him in.

"How do you know that?" she asked, setting the supplies down and looking around for a basin of water.

"I just do. I'm heading out to see what the word on the street is about the shadow beast. I'll be back whenever." Wes replied and handed her the key, "Keep the door locked." After a moment of hesitation, he stripped off the Snag Machine and set it beside her. She stared at it in disbelief, perhaps that act of God wasn't so farfetched? "Take care of this. It's your model to work with." he added and headed for the door.

Sighing in exasperation after he left, Rui set to work on her new project. The water helped to soften the wooden strips, which she bent into the proper shapes after examining the machine. The plaster of paris went to making a base to help the strips stay in place, after which she molded the remainder onto the skeleton. Rui then proceeded to do the same for a second molding, creating plaster copies of the shoulder-pad and forearm device of the Snag Machine. While waiting for the copies to dry, she ordered room service for lunch and looked out the window at the city. She could just about make out Wes's figure amidst the crowds of people, an easier feat once the crowd suddenly parted in a circle to surround him and a second young man. Obviously, he wasn't able to stay out of the spotlight and a trainer battle.

Interest piqued by this, Rui watched the battle, silently cheering her gallant desert prince to victory as the twin Eons faced off against two Pokémon that were new to her. One was a huge dog, red and regal with black stripes and a gorgeous crop of fur on its head and chest. The other was a ghostly Pokémon with hands that floated unattached from its main body and the body, if it could be called that, was shaped somewhat like a cat's head.

The battle began with the dog emitting a scorching hot Flamethrower at Pluto, who easily dodged it and darted in to bite the Pokemon. The ghost had tried to swoop in and lick at Jupiter with a ridiculously long tongue, only to faint at the first shot of Psychic the Eon sent back. Wes merely stood aside, watching his friends battle, calling out commands as he saw fit.

"Good going with the Haunter, Jupiter! Pluto! I expect less playing about with the Arcanine! Finish it quickly so we can get on with our job!" he declared. Pluto leaped back from a Slash attempt and looked up at the creature, eyes glowing bright. Confuse Ray. Rui laughed as the Arcanine began to run in circles, yipping and chasing its tail, unable to battle any further. It was recalled and the losing trainer, amidst his own laughter, thanked Wes for the entertaining warm-up, handed him a few bills and made a beeline to the Center with a few of his friends, chatting excitedly about the battle and the ones yet to come.

The doorbell rang and, after checking the plaster to be sure it was dry, Rui made her way over to enjoy a nice lunch. Wes was having fun, she was sure, and with the tracking device still hanging from his neck, she was content with his roaming about the city. After all, what could possibly happen to him in the beautifully opulent city of water?


	4. Bait and Switch

Thanks for the reviews, it was a bit tough getting Wes/Seth right and Rui to not know everything he does. I'm glad people are enjoying this story. Soon, you'll see a big twist!

* * *

Ch 4

He was naked.

That was the only way he could describe walking around Phenac without the Snag Machine on his arm. An irritating kind of nakedness that he couldn't cover by throwing on more clothes. Not that he had many to throw on over the jacket, but that feeling was one that he really didn't need to have at this time. He was information hunting.

Seth rubbed at his left arm as he scanned the crowds for Dash, the athlete who loved running circles round the fountain, chased by or chasing his beloved Castform. There were far too many people for his liking, and he had to control every urge to kick someone aside whenever a trainer bumped into him by mistake.

"Hi, there, cutie!" a voice called out and he stopped in mid-step, mentally shuddering. Pet names, he loathed pet names, especially those other people just tossed at him upon first look. He tolerated Rui's 'gallant prince' catcalls, but that was a different story altogether. Seth looked back and frowned as a pair of trainers ran up to meet him. The girl that had called him had lavender hair cropped into a bob and was dressed in, of all things, jungle camouflage. The other trainer was a small kid, chewing on a stick of gum.

"What do you want?" he growled, still looking for Dash. The girl smiled brightly and held up a decorated Poké Ball, Luxury Balls that were obtained through winning contests from the land of Hoenn.

"I saw your battle over there by the hotel. You were quite the fighter, but I bet I can take you on and win!" she remarked coyly, "So here's a challenge and a wager, m'kay? We'll have a little match here, and the winner gets lunch from the loser."

"I'd just have the battle if I were you, mistah." the little boy told Seth, "She'll follow you from here to Hoenn if you don't fight her."

"Dash! If you're out there, get over here!" Seth bellowed out and glared at the trainer girl. "It's because of people like you that I stick to the desert. Let's get it done and over with, then."

"Okay then! Let's do it!" the girl giggled and stepped back a few paces for some room, "Behold the beauty of my Pokémon and me! Lilith calls forth the elegant Espeona and the gorgeous Gardevana!" The two psychic type Pokémon appeared on the field, the Espeon wearing a pendant necklace and armlet on the right foreleg; the Gardevoir, a tall and graceful grass-type that resembled a slender lady, wearing a similar pendant and bracelets on both wrists.

Seth disliked the battle the moment he laid eyes on the bejeweled duo. Out of the corner of an eye, he spotted the athlete running towards him, the Castform's tiny figure bobbing alongside it and occasionally bopping him in the head. There wasn't much time for relief. Lilith had immediately sent her duo to gang up on Jupiter, who looked between the two of them in confusion.

"Hey, there, big guy! Sorry I'm late! What's up?!" Dash declared as he jogged up to Seth and kept in motion, running in place to stay on target with his exercise regime.

"Heard any word about the shadow beast in the area?" Seth asked as Pluto dove into the fray and bit the jeweled Espeon on the tail. It shrieked and ran back to the trainer, whimpering as it cowered behind her legs.

"Yeah, word is that the monster's been spotted heading this way. Should be here by evening, maybe later. News reports are keeping tabs on it by watching for attacks at night." Dash replied, "I'm canceling my at-night runs till it passes by. Why do you ask? You doing something about it?"

"You could say that. This beast is after something specific. I'm planting a bug on it next time I see it so I can track it, day or night." the Snagger remarked vaguely, "You are a very irritating person to hunt down, you know. I was coerced into two battles already by all of these 'outsiders'. I don't appreciate these kinds of slow downs in my line of work." Pluto was now chasing about the Gardevoir, who raced in a panic with the leafy dress hiked up for freer movement of her legs. Jupiter, seeing his brother enjoying himself, had curled up and fallen asleep while Lilith yelled at Seth to get his attention back on the battle.

"Really? Hadn't noticed. Busy working out for my triathlon." Dash replied, "But now that you mention it, there have been a fair bit of people coming in, eh?"

"Unfortunately." Seth muttered as the Gardevoir finally tripped over and wailed over the dust on its body before being called back into the Luxury Ball. "Pluto, are you done yet?" The Umbreon looked back at him with a happy look on its face and the pendant in its mouth. "You're copying me again, aren't you? Give that back, it's of no use to us. Probably worthless, too." Seth ordered. The Pokémon shrugged and tossed its head, letting the necklace fall at the girl's feet.

"I can't believe I lost to some guy who wasn't even giving orders or looking at the battle!" the girl yelled in a fury, "What kind of trainer are you?! Forget the wager! I'm not going out on a date with YOU!" She stomped away after snatching up the pendant and throwing down a wad of money.

"Didn't want it anyway." Seth muttered under his breath as he scooped up the cash and pet the Umbreon on the head. Jupiter was nudged awake and joined his brother in the petting.

"Hey, mistah. You got some guts doing that. Never mind her, my Cubone-head sister does that to every guy she sees." the little boy told him and held out a strangely decorated tube with a Poké Ball shaped dispenser on one end. "This is on me, guy. It's a Poké Block Case. Holds candy for Pokémon. They love this stuff. Came all the way from Hoenn, they make 'em there. The candies, I mean." he went on and showed Seth how it worked. "The panel here tells ya what flavors the candies are and you hit this thing here to pop it out like this." He flicked a small trigger and snapped the case upward sharply, popping a sugar-cube sized block into the air. He caught it and showed it off. "See? You put 'em back through here, the bottom." The boy pushed it back in and handed it off. "It holds about forty blocks and you can make more with berries but you need a berry blender and some friends for it to work. I suggest a trip to Hoenn. Well, see ya!" He ran off and Seth studied the new item in his hands.

"And I thought cologne for Pokémon was a strange concept. Candy?" he wondered to himself as he walked back to the hotel with the two Eons chasing after.

Standing outside the building, Seth paused to examine the case again. He popped one of the candies out and took an experimental lick. It was a bit sour and dry. He held it out to the twins and let them sniff at it. Pluto sniffed and shook its head, uninterested, but Jupiter gobbled it out of his hand and nuzzled his hand eagerly, chewing the candy in its mouth.

"All right. Let's see. How about this one, Pluto?" he murmured and took a lick at another block. It was sour again, but with a sweet overlay to it. He showed it to the Umbreon and it licked his hand after munching it down, sniffing at his arm for more. "You guys really like this stuff, huh?" Seth remarked in mild surprise. The treats he had used before on the twins were usually bits of food from his own plate. He popped another candy out and tested it. Spicy and dry, an interesting mix.

"Ah, what the hell." Seth remarked with a small grin and popped the block into his mouth, chewing and pressing the small mass against the inside of his cheek. His mouth puckered and he shuddered a bit, but in all he liked it. The twins stared up at him, heads cocked as he stood and leaned against the building, smiling at nothing as he finished chewing on the Poké Block, stretching the flavor as long as he could before swallowing the textured candy and entering the hotel.

* * *

Rui stepped out of her shower and yelped at seeing Wes back already. He stood over her bed, looking down with a scowl at the two Snag Machines sitting side by side.

"Rui, did you have to put them together like that?!" he started to gripe as he looked back at her. He stopped abruptly, staring at her for a full second before clapping the visor back over his eyes and spinning around to face the bed again, "RUI! GET BACK IN THAT SHOWER!" The roar was enough to make her race in again, clutching the fluffy towel wrapped around her. She slammed the door closed, then burst into laughter. She had been embarrassed and shocked, but she had seen his face turn a bright shade of red. That made up for the little blunder.

"Sorry! I didn't know you were in!" Rui called through the door. "I can't get dressed, my clothes are out there on my bed! Can you get them for me?" She could hear muttering and things being moved around, then stepped back as the door opened a small bit and Wes's arm shot in, a mess of frilly undies and her skirt and top clutched in the fist. "Um, thanks." she mumbled, taking them into her arms.

"Don't mention it. Really. I don't want any reminders that this day happened." Wes growled, "And which of these is my Snag Machine?!"

"The one on the left!" Rui called, getting dressed and wishing her face would stop being so pink as she looked in a mirror. Oh great, he had seen her underwear first hand. Didn't her mother tell her constantly that only her future husband should see her undies? It was, like, family tradition! And he must think that she was such an air-head. She groaned loudly at the thought and jumped when a knock on the door sounded.

"Rui? Are you okay in there?" Wes asked, sounding concerned, "I heard you... moaning?"

"No, I'm fine." she replied, still a bit depressed by her thoughts.

"Are you dressed yet?"

"Yes..."

"Good. We're going out."

"Okay. I'll be fine here. I'll order room service again."

"No. We're going out."

Rui looked confused. Maybe he hadn't heard correctly. She got up and opened the door a crack, peeking at him. He stared right back at her, the visor back on his head.

"I said, okay. I'll order room service. Let me know when you come back." she replied softly, looking up at those strange eyes. Wes frowned and rolled them heavenward.

"Cubone-head. I know another girl who's just like that." he muttered, "I'm telling you, _we're_ going out." Rui looked confused again, both by the Cubone remark, whatever it was, and his repetition.

"We're going out?" she echoed, "The two of us?"

"No, me and your shadow. Of course, the two of us!" Wes growled and grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of the bathroom, "We're going out to eat and get me a little exposure to the night life. If the shadow beast is anywhere near here, like Dash said, I want it to see that I'm here too."

"You mean, bait it?" Rui asked blankly and yelped, "The city where rivers run from dry beds! This is the city! The monster will come for you here! No! I don't want to go out! And you're not going out either!" She pulled back and dug in her heels as he pulled harder to get them to the door. "Wes! Stop it! We're staying right here! No! I don't want that thing to get you again!"

"Rui! That was the whole point to the Snag Machine copy! That's the real bait!" he yelled through his teeth, dragging her along, "It's going to hold the tracking chip and the beast will take it and lead us to where it came from and whoever it is that wants the machine so badly!"

"Noooo!" Rui wailed and crashed into him when Wes yanked on her arm with all the strength he had, "Owwww!" The twin Eons sitting on Wes's bed shut their eyes and hunched at the crash, then blinked at the scene. They were beginning to sense a trend to the way their master and his 'partner' interacted.

"Rui... Do you always have to make things so difficult?" Wes sighed in exasperation as he tried to pick himself off the floor. Her face was buried in the front of his jacket again. She sniffed, she could smell paint. It was from the copy that sat on her bed. After the two plaster pieces were connected with the rubber tubing she had bought, she covered the pieces with metal strips, sealed them on and painted them to resemble the Snag Machine. The tracking chip had been set next to the real Snag Machine. She had planned to plant it after her shower, the paint stunk up her hands and clothes, but now she wouldn't have that chance. She also smelled... candy? Where did he get candy?

"Sowwy..." she replied through the leathery jacket, "Cahn't whee jush ee ehn?"

"Excuse me?" Wes muttered and she raised her head up, looking up at him with a pink face.

"Can't we just eat in?" she repeated hopefully.

"No." She kicked and wailed as he picked her up, slung her over his right shoulder and carted her outside to find a restaurant, ignoring the strange looks from the people that watched them go by.

* * *

Seth resisted the urge to claw at the fake machine sitting on his arm. At least he didn't feel naked, but even through the leathery fabric of his trench coat the plaster seemed to scrape at his skin. He tried thinking of it as the real one, but it didn't help much.

Rui had gotten over herself, it seemed, and was thoroughly enjoying their night out. Seth bit the piece of steak off of his fork to cover his smile. She was happy, he could see her face light up at everything they did. Browsing street markets where she cooed over a Dragonair charm bracelet until he gave in and bought it for her; watching battles in the center of town between trainers from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Orre (he made it a point to go back to the hotel and get the twins out so they could study the moves and learn about them); teaching her how to ride the speeder on her own, he sat behind her on the seat and spent more time trying to keep her from wriggling about than showing her some of his better maneuvers, but she at least knew enough to manage; now this, dinner at the new Char's Chops restaurant, where the food was cooked with fires lit by fire-type Pokemon.

Seth made sure he was able to put himself in open areas in each place they visited, listening for sounds of the shadow beast. It was dark, nearly ten at night by his guess, and still no sign of the monster. He would probably have to try again the next night.

"Wow! This is like a date! And thanks again for the bracelet, you didn't have to buy it for me, but it was sweet of you to do that anyway." Rui remarked brightly over a crisp salad and soda.

"It was nothing, really. Just so long as you're having fun." Seth replied and grinned. He couldn't help it, he was enjoying himself too! He knew he shouldn't, that something like this wasn't helping his plan of leaving her after the shadow beast mystery was resolved. But what harm was there in making a few good memories for later?

"So it's a Dragonair?" she asked again, lifting her bracelet. She had asked him what all the new Pokémon were, watching him closely when he answered. He didn't know what that was about, but it unnerved him.

"Yes. For the tenth time, yes, it's a Dragonair. It's evolved from a Dratini and becomes Dragonite at the third evolution. Why are you looking at me like that?" Seth replied and raised an eyebrow at her. She was looking at him strange again.

"Have you ever seen those Pokémon before?" she asked. Seth shook his head slowly, "Read about them? Heard about them?" Again he shook his head. "Then how did you know what they were?"

Good question.

"I don't know. Why do you keep asking me that?" Seth grumbled irritably. There were things that he had always known, but never questioned why or how he knew them. Now that Rui was poking and prodding at his knowledge, he was beginning to feel a bit worried about himself.

"It's just weird. Sorry." she replied and shrugged, "Never mind. Where are we going next?" He finished the steak and thought carefully.

"Not sure. I'll come up with something. Excuse me first." he replied and headed for the men's room. The itch was growing unbearable.

--

Once hidden away from Rui's eyes, Seth breathed a bit more easily and pulled off the plaster cast on his arm, scowling at the chips of paint and plaster clinging to the sleeve. He brushed them off and pulled it back on. The tracking chip he spotted on Rui's bed was securely wedged in the forearm unit, he didn't trust his shoulder with it. The real Snag Machine was left on Rui's bed, along with a small note he managed to scribble out and slip underneath it. It was all part of his plan. Now was the time to implement the next part of it.

"Okay, guys. Here we go." Seth murmured and released the Eons into the room. They shook their heads and looked up at him, eager for orders. He held out two candies, the flavors matching the Pokémon. "Guys, listen close. I need to tell you this now. Sooner or later, hopefully sooner, I'm probably going to get carried off by that shadow beast we saw in the desert." he told them. The twins stopped sniffing at the candies and began growling. "Easy there. I want that to happen. I'm looking for where it came from and this is the only sure way of finding it. I'm leaving the Snag Machine and you two with Rui. You keep her safe and fight for her in my place, okay?"

The Eons whimpered and rubbed against his legs. He rolled his eyes and smiled. His two oldest and closest friends never failed to make him smile. He fed them the candies and gave them the order again, then called them back.

"Thought you got lost back there." Rui teased when he returned to the table and popped a candy in his mouth. "What was that? Is that candy? Can I try one?" she asked eagerly.

"It's a Poké Block. Candy for Pokémon." he explained and held one out to her, a sweet cube, according to the label. She stared at him incredulously.

"Candy for Pokémon? And _you're_ eating it?!" she declared in shock, "Why?!"

"It tastes good. Try one." he offered again. Rui picked up the block and eyed it warily, then took a hesitant lick at it. She scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue. "What's the matter?"

"Ick. It's all grainy and stuff. What do they make these things out of, anyway?" she complained and held it back to him, "Yuck! Pokémon may like them, but I'm not a Pokémon!" Seth picked it up and popped it in his mouth, shrugging. It tasted fine to him, sweet and juicy with pulp. "How can you stand it? _You're_ not a Pokémon!"

"I'm used to eating weird things. Comes with my background." Seth replied and placed a tip and payment for the dinner on the table, "Let's go. I heard they're shooting fireworks over the stadium."

"Yay!" Rui cheered and jumped up to follow him out to the stadium. He let her pass and carefully dropped the two Poké Balls into her jacket pocket as she did. "We're gonna go see fireworks! Let's go, Wes! I want to get us a good view!"

* * *

They walked to the fountain and sat on the benches set around it, waiting for the fireworks show to begin. Rui clutched her new Clefairy doll, yet another gift from Wes, and snuggled closer to him. The doll was too cute to pass up and once more he was able to identify it without any problems. He glared at her when she asked and she decided not to pursue the question any further.

She was definitely putting this in her diary as the best day she ever had, second only to meeting Wes for the first time. Something in her pocket slid and thumped her leg, but she ignored it, blissfully unaware of what Wes himself was doing.

"This is just too cool, Wes!" she laughed and looked up at the starry sky, "I hope the fireworks start soon, it's getting kind of cold." she added. Rui yelped slightly when he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Desert winds are blowing in and are always kind of frigid. The water from the fountain behind us doesn't help either." he murmured, "Anyways, they should start in about a minute, if my PDA is right."

"No shadow beast to ruin this night. I'm glad that, for once, Fateena was wrong. Maybe it passed us entirely." Rui remarked and oohed at the first bursts of color that erupted in the sky. "Wow! Pretty!"

The sounds of awe from the crowd around them were quickly replaced by screams of terror only a few minutes into the show. Rui and Wes jumped from the bench and looked around for the source of the commotion. People were running around, trying to escape from the entrance of the city.

"Wes! What's going on?!" Rui cried and fought to keep from being pushed by the crowd. She spotted him darting around the panicked tourists towards the city gates and pressed on to follow him, "Wait! Wes! Don't go there!"

Chairs and tables were knocked over, creating more barriers for her to overcome as she continued tailing the dark blue trench coat pulling further and further away from her. She cried louder, still clutching her doll and using her free hand to shove people aside as she forced her way through. A violet shape towered over the masses and she gasped.

There was nothing to it! If it had been a Shadow Pokémon, she would have seen the creature and the aura that surrounded it, but this was nothing but a shadow, a pure shadow! Blasts of something from its mouth hit the brightly lit signs on the stores and shops and the shape clarified itself. Now it looked more like a strange griffin, sans wings and with a wolf's head instead of a lion's.

"That's the shadow beast?" she murmured and screamed at Wes again, spotting him standing before the creature with Plusle shooting bolts of electricity at it. The light cut into the shadow and it roared in what seemed like pain. "Wes! Get away from there!" she wailed and tried to run after him, only to be pulled back by a police officer.

"Don't you think about it, young lady! That trainer's on his own now!" he told her sternly.

"I'm his partner! He can't fight without me!" Rui snapped and twisted her arm to get free. "Wes! Get back from it!" she yelled, running after him. The Snagger jumped back from the beast as it lashed at him with one claw.

"Rui! Don't come any closer!" he shouted back, dodging another attack as the griffin shifted on its feet, trying to figure out what to do with him. She skidded to a halt and froze. He turned to look back at her, something in his hand. "I'm counting on you to track this thing down!" he added with a grin and threw the object towards her. She jumped and caught it, discovering them to be the keys to the speeder bike.

"Wes?!" Rui cried and screamed as the beast cocked its head and made a quick swipe with a claw, knocking the Snagger across the ground. He lay with his back to her, a limp figure just lying there, visor tumbling away. She dropped to her knees and stared, frozen in disbelief, while the shadow beast nudged Wes's body face down onto the ground. It looked at her and seemed to smile in triumph.

"Don't you dare..." Rui whispered and broke into sobs as she watched the griffin daintily pick him up by the waist and shape shadowy wings from its back, flapping to get airborne. The visor flitted and tumbled towards the restaurant they had just left. "WES!" the girl wailed as the shadow beast took to the sky, the unconscious Snagger dangling from its jaws, and soared away.


	5. The Ultimate Database and Human

Told you.

* * *

Ch 5

Rui picked up the forgotten visor and Plusle's Poké Ball, moving with a numbness in her chest as she headed back to the hotel. He hadn't told her the whole plan. He told her that the beast would come after the machine, but they didn't have the chance to set up the trap. Now Wes was gone, along with the real Snag Machine still strapped to his arm. She felt like jumping from the hotel window, but spotted the second machine on her bed. A folded sheet of paper was pinned beneath it. Sniffling, she pulled it free and opened it, reading the words written hastily beneath the Phenac Hotel's letterhead.

_"Rui, if you're reading this, then it's a sure bet that the shadow beast made off with me and the Snag Machine. Don't worry too much, I wanted it to take me. It was the only way I could track it without losing the signal to circumstances beyond my control. However, the machine I was wearing is the fake, the tracking chip you got from Nett is inside of it."_ Rui read softly and blinked, "You took the second chip?! And if that's the fake, then...!" She looked at the Snag Machine set snugly on her bed, gleaming in the light of the hotel room. Shaking her head in disbelief, she returned to the letter. _"It's up to you to hunt me down and find out where the beast comes from. Use the speeder to travel, that's why I was teaching you. In your pocket you will find Jupiter and Pluto. They will help you all they can. Wear the Snag Machine, it's the last bit of protection I can offer you. At the least you can make use of it and your own arm as a weapon of sorts. Until we meet again. Seth."_

Rui reached into the jacket pocket and retrieved the three Poké Balls, studying them and the speeder's keys in her hands. She looked down at the Snag Machine and the shining visor on her bed, then over at the little jar of zinc oxide Wes had left on the bedside table.

"It's all up to me?" she whispered and blinked, "Wait, if he has both tracking chips, that doubles my chances of finding him." She gripped the balls tightly and glared out the window through angry tears. "Then that's what I'm going to do! I'm going to find you, Wes! I'm going to be the one to rescue you this time!" she declared and pocketed the items, gathering up her change of clothes and the little jar. The visor she plopped onto her head and paused as she reached for the Snag Machine. She began to cry again as she remembered her adventures with its owner.

--

_She had been kidnapped by a pair of Miror B.'s thugs and was being taken to Cipher's head boss for 'dealing with' when she was dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Rui could hear arguing, then a Pokémon battle. Afterwards, the bag she was held in was untied and she stood, letting it fall away from her. The first person she laid eyes on was the one who had freed her. Wes._

_He'd been colder then, speaking curtly to her and generally lying through his teeth when she tried to make small talk with him on their way around Phenac. He had grumbled and then told her his 'name' when she asked, and she could tell that the name was fake. She didn't care. She could sense something oddly powerful about him that she couldn't pinpoint, but following after him seemed to bring her a good deal of delight. Rui called him her gallant prince and he had cringed, turning his back on her and grumbling under his breath about how dim she must be. She had been a tad hurt, but she forgot about it after she had the idea of stealing back Shadow Pokémon from Team Snagem and Cipher._

--

_Rui had jumped in shock and fear when the first Shadow Pokémon they came across had dashed forward and punched him, aiming for his stomach. Wes had blocked the attack and the subsequent ones during the battle but still suffered some injuries from the Makuhita's random blows._

--

_Days passed as they traveled together around Orre, her spotting the Shadow Pokémon and Wes snagging them. He grew less icy the more they worked together, but he never ceased to surprise her with many of his actions. The playing of the Time Flute was one, his smile at Celebi's arrival to purify the Entei he had just snagged from Dakim was another._

_How many more surprises did he have in store for her?_

_How many more would be lost forever if she couldn't find him in time?_

--

Rui jumped and snapped back to reality as her PDA rang. She pulled it out and checked her mail. Nett had completed a new invention and had hopes that it would be useful for her and Wes. He needed them to come to his house in The Under whenever possible. She checked the time and sighed dejectedly. It was far too late to travel anywhere. Nett would be exhausted from his work and she needed time to recover from the events of the previous half hour. Hugging the Snag Machine to her body, she crawled into bed and fell asleep, dreaming of her soon-to-come reunion with her golden-eyed desert prince.

* * *

"You didn't damage him too much, I hope?" a woman's voice asked coolly.

_'Where am I? I feel so light. Am I flying?'_

"He's perfectly unharmed. This time. I suppose it was best to give him those two-three days to heal from the first attempt. God knows he'd get suspicious if we brought him in that way and used the potions." a man's voice replied, a familiar English accent that he thought he recognized.

_'I'm up somewhere, maybe being carried? I'm being moved by something or someone. I wish I knew what was happening.'_

"Don't drop him! I'll kill you if you drop him!" the woman snapped, "None of you are worth the countless millions my father spent creating him!"

_'Are they talking about the shadow beast? It was created for a purpose then? Why? What's going on? Why can't I move? I'm awake, but I can't even open my eyes!'_

"What about the millions that went into _my_ Shadow Pokémon research?! Doesn't the fact that all of that data is gone account for something?! And it's all _his_ fault!" the Englishman countered. There were three sets of footsteps, all of them brisk and loud.

"We can't do much about the developments that occurred after his resignation, but we can retrieve the information that he had before he reneged. Once we have that, you had **better** find out what caused him to turn on us and make sure it **doesn't**happen again!" the woman responded irritably, "My father was greatly displeased with the knowledge that he was able to gain enough free will to escape our control!"

"My programming was perfect! It's _this_ hulking bloke that must have ruined it with his constant beatings!" the Englishman declared and a door opened, "Here. Put him over there and remove the device. I'll study it later to see what he might have done with it during his wild romping about with that bothersome girl."

_'Are they talking about me?! Romping about?! What the hell do these people think I was doing?! I was just taking back what was rightfully mine! And the legendaries weren't easy catches!'_

Seth cried sharply as he felt himself get dropped onto a flat metal surface. The blow seemed to release him and he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

"You **idiot**! I told you not to drop him! Why don't you ever listen to me?! I'm your fiancée! You had better do as I say!" the woman shrieked and bent to look at him with a savage grin. "But I've got you back now, my lovely, lovely moneymaker!"

"Agh!" Seth recoiled, scrambling away from her and discovering himself within the confines of the abandoned Shadow Pokémon Laboratory, abandoned no more. Professor Ein stood beside his computer with a scowl, the woman was new to Seth and as for the one who dumped him...

He cried in pain as a hand gripped his shoulder tightly and a second tore the Snag Machine copy from his arm. Only one man had done the same to him before and could do it again if he had the chance.

"Ah, he can take it, the punk. He's taken worse." Gonzap grumbled, setting the cast on another table. "C'mon, Sera, a punch here and there never hurt him much."

"**You weren't supposed to touch him like that at all, you ignoramus!**" the woman raged at him and then turned a smiling face on Seth, "Welcome home, sweetie! I've missed you soooo very much!" He rubbed his arm and scowled. "Now, now, that kind of face leads to wrinkles. Professor Ein, is Wesley ready now for the data transfer?"

"Not right now, but in an hour or so, he should be." Ein replied, "Getting him riled up like this tends to disturb and lengthen the transfer process."

"Transfer this." Seth growled and rolled quickly off the table, bolting for the door. Sera whirled and raged at Gonzap.

"Don't just stand there! Get him back here! I'm not about to lose my father's entire fortune when we are so close to rebuilding the Cipher Corporation!" she yelled and watched him run out after Seth. "Little twin brother or no, he is still considered the property of the Cipher Corporation. I'll not have him destroy us yet again."

--

Seth raced down the halls, mind whirling at the revelations. Cipher was behind the shadow beast, Gonzap was back and apparently marrying that strange woman who kept talking about her dad running the thing, Ein was also back in their ranks, and they were apparently after him, not the Snag Machine.

"Fateen, you could have explained these things a bit more, you old hack!" he huffed as he thought of that Sera woman again. She had long golden hair with silver wings clipped to the sides of her head, dressed in a gown of royal violet and another set of silver wings clipped to the back of her dress. "Evil rises on silver wings, my ass! I am _really_ starting to hate that woman!"

Seth stopped and looked around, panting as he tried to get his bearings straight. He heard Gonzap's heavy footsteps and spun to face his old boss, back pressed to the wall.

"You'd better stay right there till I get ya, if you know what's good for ya." Gonzap growled, walking up to him, "Me 'n Sera's got plans for you, Wesley; you and your punk Pokémon buddies and the world."

"You stupid roach, you know my name! It's Seth! That Wes crap is just some name I thought up to tell Rui!" he snapped back, sliding across the wall to keep some distance.

"That's where you're wrong, you little smart-ass." Gonzap told him with a leering smile, "Project: WSLY, Cipher's fancy name for the ultimate database system and regenerated Pokémon. Also known as Wesley. You."

"Don't give me that bull. Probably drunk as hell and high off of that ditz woman you got back there." Seth hissed, leaping back when the older man lunged for him.

"Heh, always the smart-ass. Never wondered why you were able to pick out the best Pokémon to Snag, never wondered why you always looked kinda funny, why you could survive the desert better than the other scumbags in the gang." Gonzap went on, pressing closer to corner him. Seth glanced over his shoulder briefly and jumped back again when he tried to grab him a second time. "Or why you knew the names and kinds of all the Pokémon catalogued without ever learning about them."

"Shut up." Seth growled, "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know that you're worth a ton of loot, and I'm gonna get me some of that money right now!" Gonzap yelled and lunged again. Seth leaped forward, catapulting off of his back and racing down the hall again. "Blasted brat! Ein!" he called into a small radio, "He's getting away! Send out that shadow thing of yours again!"

_"I knew you couldn't handle the job. The Chaser was designed to fetch Wesley anywhere it wound up, especially if you did something as stupid as lose it."_ the professor griped.

--

"They're lying, they're lying, they're lying..." Seth chanted as he ran, shaken by the words Gonzap had spoken. Was that why Fateena had called him Wesley? Had she seen or known what he really was? It couldn't be true! He wasn't some _thing _that Cipher created! He was a living, breathing, thinking human!

He stumbled and fell, still dazed from the confrontation. His arm ached, now his sides hurt. This was more running than he had ever done before. Picking himself up, Seth pushed onwards, thinking as clearly as he could despite the doubts growing in his mind. The idea that he was some kind of living data storage unit explained the data transfer talk between Sera and Ein, but what about the Pokémon regeneration crap? Did they expect him to believe that he, Seth, was a _Pokémon_?! The idea of it made him laugh as he staggered down the hall, one arm wrapped around his side, the other steadying him as he walked by using the walls as support.

Seth hadn't gotten very far when he noticed the lights go out and heard a strange soft roaring that made him stop and look back. The shadow beast stood in the hall, smaller than when he had met it last night. The purplish-black color made it stand out in the darkness, glowing eyes watching his every move. He pushed away from the wall and faced it angrily.

"I don't know what the hell you are, but you're obviously _not_ a Shadow Pokémon, so you'd better get lost if you know what's good for you." he growled and the roaring turned to whispering in his mind. He shook his head, trying to get the voice out. "Stop it! Whatever you're doing to me, stop it!"

The beast walked forward slowly, never moving its gaze from him. The whispers grew more insistent, with Seth futilely pressing his hands to his ears, trying to block the sound. Brief glimpses of what appeared to be notes of some kind flashed through his mind's eye.

--

_"Date: Day 1460.The experimental combination of the DNA samples taken from the Hoenn battlefield within the Sootopolis Cave of Origin is highly unstable. A third genetic strand must be used to cement the union and create the most powerful Pokémon the world has ever seen."_

--

_"Date: Day 2190.The end result of the regeneration experiment is an enhanced form of human, taking characteristics from the more complete samples of the DNA collected. Ms. Sera Evice decreed that the test subject be used as a living server to ensure the corporation's data security. Under the project name designated by Mr. Garik Evice, the subject will be tested for obedience and intelligence. Ms. Evice has named the subject after the legendary Egyptian god, Seth. Tests will begin at 0600 hours."_

--

_"Date: Day 2200. Project: WSLY is absorbing the data quickly. It will lose roughly seven years' worth of memory to the server's information banks, but it is highly probable that Wesley, read Seth, will neither notice nor care. Data retention has been tested at 100 percent accuracy, and will not deteriorate with time."_

--

"It can't be true... They're lying..." Seth moaned softly, dropping to his knees and finally collapsing before the shadow beast. It merely gazed down at him before ending the whispering torment and picking him up by the waist, turning to take him back to the lab.

* * *

The glare from the sun's light kept blinding her. Rui had pulled over several times, rubbing at her eyes as she waited for some kind of cloud cover to block the light. The Snag Machine weighed on her left arm, adjusted to fit her snugly. The warmth it held from being worn by Wes for so long was a bit of comfort for her.

"How in the world does he drive this thing without going blind?" she muttered and reached into her pocket, pulling out the jar. "Does this stuff have something to do with it? He's always wearing it." Rui tentatively dipped a finger into the jar and applied a small bit to her face. It was cold and smelled a bit odd, but it seemed to do the trick. The sunlight wasn't as bright to her eyes, but it still hurt. She pulled the visor down from her head and grinned. "Hey! That's a whole lot better!" The light was dimmed a bit further, but she was still able to see clearly. Her eyes didn't ache so much now.

Resuming her travels to Pyrite Town and The Under, Rui kept the speeder steady as she sneaked a peek at the PDA wedged under the cable of the Snag Machine. Ever since last night, the two spots of light representing Wes hadn't budged after stopping some sixty, seventy miles north of Phenac. The Shadow Pokémon Lab.

"Whatever it is, it's staying put and that's good. It'll be easier to hunt it down and get Wes back if it doesn't move." she told herself and continued on.

--

Nett raised an eyebrow in silent wonder at Rui's appearance. She stood before him, dusty and ragged, with a strip of white across her face and the silvery visor on her head. Upon crying out in surprise at the fact that she was wearing the Snag Machine, he couldn't help but feel depressed by hearing that Wes had been captured by the shadow beast. The only other thought he had after the shock had passed was that Rui looked a lot like a female version of the Snagger hero. He didn't mention it to her, though.

"I see. Well, as long as he has the tracking chips, we should be fine. I can't promise that he's in the same condition, though." Nett told Rui and held out a strangely heavy and decorated flashlight. "This is the device I was telling you about." Rui took it in her hand and studied it, perplexed. "It looks like a normal flashlight, but it fires a beam of pulsing light. It should tear that shadow to bits if you hit it enough times. I just didn't have time to really test it out."

"How did you figure out how to make this thing?" Rui asked, swinging the device experimentally and testing its ability to be used as a weapon.

"Cipher's database still has some useful info left, even after most of it was scrubbed in the Shadow Pokémon Lab and the Realgam Tower information center. I found some notes about the shadow beast there. Apparently, it was created by Cipher during a Pokémon regeneration experiment." Nett replied, "They were trying to create the world's most powerful Pokémon, but they got the shadow beast and some other thing out of it instead."

"So Cipher kidnapped Wes? That's bad! They must want revenge for our stopping them from taking over the world!" Rui cried and ran for the stairs.

"If I find anymore information, I'll e-mail you!" Nett called up as she left, "Good luck!"

--

Rui left Pyrite as fast as she could, speeding towards the lab in the distance. Cipher had been behind the shadow beast, so why hadn't Wes known about it? He had worked for Team Snagem, who worked for Cipher, for years! He should have known that the monster was one of their experiments! Or maybe it was so secret, he never knew of it? And maybe they actually succeeded in that Pokémon regeneration thing? They might try testing the power of their new Pokémon on Wes!

"Hang on, Wes! I'm coming! Don't give up!" she cried, pressing harder on the gas pedal. He trusted her to find him, find him and save him. She wasn't about to let him down! "Wes, you better not be dead when I get there, or I'll never forgive you!"


	6. The Desert Incarnate

Thanks for all the reviews, (to be honest, this story was written in the span of three days, and I'm uploading the chapters when I can.) It's also fairly short, I wanted to see if I could write a good story in less than 20 chaps. Doing good so far.

And no, I didn't read that 'Cleansing of the World' story, I had never heard of it until you told me about it, Zita. But now that you've brought it up, I think I will take a look and see how it is coming along, maybe do a review of my own. At least I won't review how you've done mine, I am trying to be professional about this. I began this story April 2, several days after beating the game. I know that the idea of Cipher's return isn't exactly the most original one, but the way I have them trying to rebuild is the best I have come up with.

Read the whole thing before making a ruling like that. Thanks. BTW the red Peon's name is Rosso. Think the spanish term for red.

* * *

Ch 6

Sera cooed and wiggled her fingers at Seth as Gonzap finished the last of the straps that held him down to the table. Ein stood by the computer, bored with the scene and waiting for the data to be transferred back into his hands.

"Who's a little cutie-poo? You are! Of course, you'd be a cute little thing! You came from me! And I'm _such_ a beauty!" Sera cooed, tapping the tip of his nose. Seth turned away from her and growled angrily.

"Why the hell are you talking to me like I'm some stupid little two-year-old?" he snapped and pulled against the bands holding his wrists level with his shoulders, "Look, you people want the Snag Machine, right? It's right there! You don't want me around. Trust me on that."

"I don't see why we have to keep him around after you get your stuff back." Gonzap grumbled and grinned, cracking his knuckles, "I'd like to have a word with him and make sure he doesn't think he's got an edge over me." Sera glared at him along with Seth, the expressions eerily similar save for the eye color.

"You will do no such thing to him!" she scolded and smiled at Ein, "You can start the data transfer. How long will it take to get it all back?" The professor picked up a pair of small devices from his desk and walked to the table.

"It depends on how willing he is to give it to us and whether or not he gets agitated during the process." he replied and clipped one of the round, black discs to Seth's ear. He struggled, tossing his head to keep the second clip away from him and sliding down the length of the table as far as he could. "Wes, will you stop that?"

"Get the hell away from me!"

"It's not going to hurt to put this on! You got the first one without a problem!"

"The hell it's not!" Seth yelled, gathering enough strength and slack from his hunched position to buck up and knock him aside with his head. "Ow." he added under his breath after falling back to the table. Sera shot Gonzap a look.

"I thought he was securely tied." she said accusingly. Gonzap shrugged. "Ein, hurry it up!" The professor staggered back with a scowl and finally managed to grab the Snagger by the head, clapping the second disc over his other ear and ignoring the yell of pain and anger.

"There! That didn't hurt at all, did it?" Ein growled through his teeth and stormed back to the console, "Thank God this is all wireless or the brat would keep trying to yank the cords off."

"So, you're gonna be messing with his head now, right?" Gonzap asked, picking up the Snag Machine and examining it. Ein typed in a few commands and looked back at him with a disgusted expression.

"To put it in layman's terms, yes. I'm going to bring up his most recent memories and then examine the memories of last year's renegade day to see what went wrong with him." he replied haughtily.

"NO!" Seth shouted, writhing on the table and trying desperately to knock away the devices securely fastened around his ears. If they went into his mind, then his whole plan would be discovered and Rui would be in danger! "No, no no! There's no way you can do that without my permission!"

"Actually, I just did." Ein remarked with a smile and pressed another key.

From within the two devices, a tiny beam of a laser fired into Seth's head, scanning the temperature generated by an audio signal calling up the memories stored in his mind. The changes would trigger a mini-translator to read the temperature and the translated bit of data that sped through the wireless connection to the main computer. In moments, despite Seth's writhing and crying for the computer signals going to him to stop, pages of data bloomed open on the screen. Ein smiled and leaned forward, reading Seth's thoughts and emotions on the computer monitor and picking them apart analytically. Sera brushed her clone's hair aside, mimicking a soothing gesture.

"It's okay, honey. It didn't hurt, see? Now, we can find out what happened to you and fix you so you're all better again. There, there. Don't cry." she purred, delicately wiping away his tears. He struggled weakly, tugging on the straps holding his wrists down.

"Why...?" he sobbed, hating himself for breaking down this way in front of his enemies, "Why are you doing this to me? I want to go home..."

"You _are_ home, sweetie. And we have to fix you. We can't restart the Shadow Pokémon plan without you. We need you to find more strong Pokémon and snag them for us." Sera cooed and kissed him on the forehead, "Now don't fight. It'll just make things bad for you. Soon you'll be fixed and we'll have a nice lunch all ready for you. I'll make your favorite, duck l'orange with sweet and sour sauce on the side."

"Bloody, bloody hell!" Ein suddenly declared, bolting up from his seat, "The bastard's set us up!"

"The bomb?" Gonzap asked and snickered at his own little joke. Ein whirled around and ran to grab the machine from his hands. "Hey!"

"This!" the professor yelled and threw it against the floor, shattering the plaster, wood and metal against the floor. "This false machine! He's got us bugged!" Sera looked surprised.

"How?" she asked, pulling away from the shrieking Snagger, who decided to resume his struggles for freedom. Ein scanned the floor and snatched up the chip, holding it out for her to see.

"This blasted little bit of technocrap their Under-buddy slapped together from spare parts is a tracking chip designed to let them know exactly where Wesley is when we took him from that blasted girl! She's on her way here as we speak with this bloke's speeder and twin Eons!" he yelled and snapped it in half, "We have to get out of here as soon as bloody possible!"

"Not likely. What did you find out about what set him free from our control?" Sera ordered. Ein swallowed and returned to his seat, reading the pages.

"The first experiment to test the process of artificially closing the hearts of living beings apparently was flawed even in his case. The cause of the heart opening and setting him free were the two Eevees he had stolen as a child. His years of caring and raising them helped him to regain the ability to love a living creature." Ein reported, "Once he learned the difference between love and hate, he turned his hatred on Gonzap, then us, for not giving him the love he learned existed."

"This is all **your** fault!" Sera raged at Gonzap, "You should have taken those Pokémon away from him while you had a chance!"

"Hey, he said he needed a pair of lookouts for when he went stealin'. I just thought that was all he was using them for. Then we turned to snagging Pokémon for you guys and he came out with an Espeon and Umbreon, ready to go." he protested in his defense.

"How long to get the information from him?" Sera turned on Ein, eyes flashing angrily. Things were not going according to plan.

"Roughly five to seven hours. If all goes well." he replied tentatively and swallowed again.

"Do it. And close his heart again! Delete any memories he has of those blasted Eevees and that little girl of his and close his heart! I don't want him getting away again!" she demanded and looked down at Seth, smiling at his writhing and screaming in fury, "He'll be no mere Snagger once I'm through with him! Seth, you will make the finest Admin Cipher has ever seen! Besides me, of course."

"Let me go! Stupid, lousy, rotten Cipher Corp. junkies!" he snapped back and tried yanking his legs loose from the straps that held his ankles down. "Stop it!" The audio signals began again and he screamed, writhing as the flow of information started again. Ein grumbled and fished around in a drawer for something.

"At this rate the download will take all day! I'm being forced to use this and for all I know it could damage the data." he griped and pulled a small hypodermic needle from within the drawer. He fished for a bottle of some odd chemical he liked to keep handy out of his pocket and filled the little tube. "Gonzap! Make yourself useful and hold him still!"

"I'll make sure we have our surprises set up for his lovely little girlfriend to find when she comes. After all, I _am_ the perfect hostess." Sera giggled and peeked at the monitor. "Rui is her name? All right. Ein, be sure to program into him that his first order will be to get rid of that girl if she makes it here. I don't need her to ruin our new Shadow Pokémon plans, either."

"Leave Rui out of this!" Seth cried, watching her swish out the door. He looked up at Ein as he drew close, the needle in his hand as Gonzap grabbed his arm and pushed the sleeve of his jacket up. "Ein, look, I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt Rui. She's totally innocent, we both know that." he pleaded, "I'll make her understand. I'll make her go home and stay there, just please don't do this or hurt her." The professor felt for a vein in his arm, cleaned it off and slid the needle in carefully. "No, please, Ein! Don't!" Seth cried again, looking anguished as the professor emptied the vial into his arm slowly, "Ein, I promise, she won't interfere. Just let me go..."

"That should do it. Good night, Seth." Ein remarked softly, pulling the needle out and rubbing the spot once more to encourage the blood flow and clean it again. Seth looked down at his hand sleepily, shaking his head in despair.

"First time I ever heard him beg like that." Gonzap muttered and grinned, "I kinda liked it. There a way to make him beg like that whenever I want?" Ein glared at him and returned to his station, eyeing the data flow that sped up tremendously since the drug began taking effect. "So, which name is really his? Seth or Wes?" the Snagem Boss asked, leaning against the table and watching him out of boredom, "And what Pokémon did ya use to make him? A Sandslash? Heh, a Magikarp?"

"The legendary Pokémon of earth, Groudon, and the legendary Pokémon of water, Kyogre, the two that are said to have created the land and the sea millions of years ago." Ein shot back, "And his name is Seth, his designation is Wesley. Just call him Seth to keep your brain on track."

"Hey..."

"I'm busy here. Do you mind?"

"Yeah, I mind! You're the only other dude around to yap with! Seeing as how you put Seth, here, out of commission..."

"I put him to sleep for a few hours, long enough to get the data and reprogram the seal on his heart. And I have very little interest in 'yapping' with you." Ein grumbled, saving the data to a fresh disc.

"Yeah, yeah. What's so legendary about those two anyway, 'sides makin' the world?" Gonzap went on, poking at Seth's shoulder to see if he really was asleep, then checking his pockets for loot.

"Besides the rarity and pure power of them, Groudon and Kyogre have the ability to alter the environment merely by being present. Groudon can withstand intense heat and generates droughts and sandstorms, creating land from areas of water, like oceans. Kyogre brings rainfall and blocks intense sunlight to allow the seas to rise and nourish parched lands." Ein remarked, typing in commands to be sent to the Snagger. "You should know by that which Pokémon's DNA is prevalent in Seth."

"Groudon?"

"Yes, it accounts for his ability to survive in the desert far longer than any other man we've sent, and yours as well."

"That what happened to the other Snaggers?"

"We had no further interest in them once Seth was matured."

"Groudon wouldn't happen to have freaky gold eyes, right?"

"From the descriptions given by the members of Team Aqua and Magma of the Hoenn region, both Groudon and Kyogre had yellow eyes, but the shape of the eye that Seth has is from Groudon." Ein replied and cocked his head, looking quite pleased with himself. "Well, that should do it. The sealing program has been written to label Rui and the two Eons as threats to his life that must be eliminated. Once the data download is complete, the program will upload itself and write over the data of the last year he's lived. That should get rid of any memories of his time with the Eons and the girl."

"Maybe he won't be such a wise-ass this time." Gonzap muttered, counting the bills from Seth's wallet and then pocketing them, "I'm gonna grab a burger. Ya wanna tag along or play dolly with the punk?"

"Only if you're paying." Ein replied, getting up to follow him out, "I saw you poking around in his pockets. Once a thief, always a thief, eh?"

* * *

Rui glared at the Shadow Pokémon Lab. Somewhere deep inside was Wes, possibly hurt or scared or something. She was his only hope now. The PDA lost the signal to one of the chips halfway to the lab, the second remained lit. Losing the first signal had only served to urge her faster to the abandoned building. There was no chance that she would give up now, not when her hero, her prince, her love, was trapped within that evil place.

Jumping from the speeder, she held the flashlight in her right hand tightly, using her left to throw out the Poké Balls that held Jupiter and Pluto. They appeared before her and stretched before running up and rubbing her legs.

"You two know about this already, huh?" she asked as she rubbed their heads, "Well, let's go save Wes!"

They ran into the building, determined to find the Snagger.

Almost the minute they finished taking the elevator down to the second level of the lab, they heard a voice call out over the communications system. A monitor lit up on one wall and Rui looked over at it, gasping at the sight of the golden haired woman with silver wings in her hair.

"Hello, hello! You must be Rui! Seth has told us sooo much about you!" she greeted, "Welcome to the Shadow Pokémon Laboratory, where my darling little twin was created to serve our glorious purpose! However, this **will** be the last time you ever come here."

"Where's Wes? What did you do to him, you witch?" Rui snapped, "I don't have time to entertain you!"

"Wha-what did you just call me, young lady?" the woman declared in outrage, "How dare you say that to me! I was being polite to you and you turn on me, you little slut! For that, I'll not let you see Seth until after I'm done with him! You've just lost your chance to say goodbye to the little Snagger he once was!" The monitor fell to snow and Rui growled angrily. Whatever was going on meant bad news for Wes. She had to hurry.

Ein's favorite lab was deeper within the compound. When following Wes around the first few times, she was able to keep track of the maze-like corridors and rooms by chanting the directions in her head. Wes himself moved as if he had the whole building memorized.

"Come on, guys! Faster!" she called back to the Eons that ran after her. "We've got to hurry!"

She reached the first elevator for the next level and jumped when the shadow beast stepped through the wall to meet her. She backed away cautiously, watching its movements. The Eons jumped forward, growling and raising the hairs on their backs and necks, baring teeth at the wraith. Rui swallowed and flicked the switch to the light on, yelling in a fury as she swung it at the monster. It raged in pain and darted through the wall, a tear in its shoulder visible to Rui's eyes as it escaped her.

"It worked!" she cried happily and entered the lift with the Pokémon by her sides, "We can do this!"

She ran down another hallway, the tracker in her hands leading her to dead ends that she had to work around to find a way to get closer to her goal. For a second time, a monitor lit up on a wall as she paused to let herself and the twins rest.

"You've taken your sweet time getting here, haven't you?" the woman purred, "I've gotten the word that we have only ten minutes left in our data download. Then we'll scuttle away with my lovely little desert prince into my private plane and fly away to our new secret base for safekeeping and recreate the Shadow Pokémon plan!"

"What are you talking about? Cipher's entire database was scrubbed! You don't have anything to download from and Wes is _my_ desert prince!" Rui snapped at the intercoms, resuming the race to find him.

"My father, Garik Evice, had Seth created to be the most powerful Pokémon the world had ever seen, but we wound up with a cute little boy instead. However, he could store all of our information _and_ seek out superior Pokémon for us to steal. This makes him very valuable to us. You can see why we weren't pleased with his escape from our control."

"What are you talking about, you crazy old nut?" Rui yelled, "Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that load of nonsense?"

"You horrid, horrid child! I can't believe he had any feelings for you at all!" the woman declared, insulted, "Well! It won't matter anymore! Not in about eight minutes! Seth will be mine! Mine to do with as I please!"

"You lay a hand on him and...!" Rui started to threaten but the monitor went out. She froze and gripped the light, feeling the twins leap into position to protect her from the front and rear. The sudden lack of light always signaled the return of the shadow beast. She had run into it twice more and was only able to flick the light on before it recognized the weapon and dashed away. Rui switched the weapon on when she saw it dart in from her left side, crying out as it lashed at her before dashing away. She managed a swipe at it as she fell to the floor, but all she did was cut into the claw that hit her. The lights returned as she sat up, dazed. The blow was blocked mostly by the Snag Machine on her arm, protecting her from serious injury.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked as she looked herself over, then at the Eons. They whined and whimpered, worried about their master and friend. "Okay, let's keep going. We're almost there!"


	7. Come Back to the Light, Seth!

Ch 7

The final level of the laboratory was completely dark. Rui held her flashlight ready as she crept down the halls and followed her PDA. She was getting closer, she could feel it. Jupiter perked its ears up and darted down the hall, yipping to lead her and the twin after it.

"Wait up! Is that the room? Is that where Wes is?" Rui called, following it to the door. She took a deep breath and slowly opened it.

The room was nearly empty, save for Wes lying on a metal examination table and various machines set up around the room. The remains of the fake Snag Machine still were scattered across the floor. Rui cried out and ran in to check on the Snagger.

"Wes! Wes!" she called to him, shaking his shoulders, then setting to work on undoing the straps tying him down, "Oh, what did they do to you? Wes! Wake up!" She received no response and looked around for something to help her. The Eons ran to the computer and stood on the chair, peering at the little window that flashed repeatedly on the screen. "What's that?" Rui murmured and hurried over to check it. "Is this the data that woman was talking about? Where did they find it?" she murmured and closed the window, reading the pages on the screen.

"_'Project: WSLY, codename Seth, received orders to eliminate the subject listed in image 29-a, Jupiter the Espeon. Complete. Received orders to eliminate subject listed in image 29-b, Pluto the Umbreon. Complete. Received orders to eliminate the subject listed in image 46-a, Rui Roane. Error in transmission. Data download from Seth, complete. Save to disc, complete.'_" she read and furrowed her brow, "What does this mean?" She re-read the page, trying to make sense of the words as Seth opened his eyes and sat up on the table.

He shook his head to clear it and dropped the ear-clip that had come loose during his tossing and turning. He rubbed at his eyes, then looked around, narrowing them when he caught sight of Rui and the Eons nearby. Sliding from the table, Seth walked to them quietly, raising his hands together in a fist.

"What does it mean? Is Wes working for Cipher again?" Rui murmured in confusion and cried in pain as something hard slammed into her back. She spun, striking back with the flashlight and knocking Seth backwards. "Wes! You're awake!" she declared with a smile even as her back ached.

"Shut up." Seth growled and spun into a kick, throwing her aside. Jupiter leaped at him, knocking him to the floor before jumping away.

"Ow! Wes! What are you doing? Stop it! It's me, Rui! Remember?" Rui cried, climbing to her feet and holding out her hands. Seth rolled over and got up, glaring at her until she spoke her name. His eyes widened and he looked confused.

"Rui? I...I know that name." he whispered and cringed, pressing his hand against his forehead, "Owww. No... no..." He snapped back to her, eyes dark again, "No! You are my enemy! You are a threat to Cipher and our plans of world domination!" Seth charged at her, poised to punch her, "I'll eliminate that threat!" Rui darted aside and mimicked the self-defense move he had used on her days earlier, the Snag Machine on her arm adding to the power of her move.

"No, I'm not!" she cried and jumped back as he fell to the floor again, writhing in pain and lashing out at the Eons as they closed in to sniff at him. "Wes! Those guys did something to you! You're not acting like yourself! Snap out of it!" Had the window meant Wes? Was it right when it said that he had orders to kill them all? There was something clipped to his ear that pulsed with a soft green light. Was he taking orders from the _computer_? "Project: WSLY? Wesley. Wes! **_You're_** the database that was made to hold all of Cipher's research data?" she cried in realization.

"I am a Cipher Admin! And as such, I'll employ every skill I have to ensure that you do not interfere with us!" Seth snapped, climbing to his feet again.

"No, you're not! Your name is Seth and Wes, that's true! But you are not a Cipher Admin! You're my gallant, golden-eyed desert prince!" Rui cried sorrowfully, leaping towards him with her eyes shut tight. Seth grunted softly as he was tackled and dropped to the floor, the girl hugging him tightly as she sobbed. "You're a good person, with a kind heart and loving soul! That's why you saved me and why you purified all the Pokémon you snagged! Because you care about them and me and we're your friends! We care about you, too!"

He was propped up on his elbows, looking past her head at the wall in a wide-eyed trance. The information he had was crumbling apart with every word she said, unable to support the orders he had been given because of lack of evidence that he was what he had been told he was, and the error in transmission of that final order didn't help it much. Rui's whole-hearted sobs and cries seemed to be touching a part of him that had not been... accessed was the only word he could think of to describe it.

Jupiter and Pluto whined and joined in, nuzzling his face and licking his cheeks. The Espeon nibbled at the ear-clip and pulled it off, crunching on it once before dropping it in favor of licking his ear.

"Please, please, don't be the bad guy anymore! You're a good person! We all care about you! Jupiter and Pluto and Nett and Secc and all our friends! They're trying to help you!" Rui went on, hugging him with all her strength, "Open your heart, Seth! Open it up like you told all the poor Shadow Pokémon when you snagged them! Open your heart and be free! Don't turn into them!"

"Rui..." Seth murmured softly, closing his eyes and struggling, mentally and physically, "No... no... she's... threat..."

_"Don't go back to Cipher, Seth!"_ Rui screamed in tears, _"I love you!"_ The Snagger shook his head and cried in pain, pushing her away and holding his head, doubling over on the floor. She called his name again, holding up her arm in fear of what may happen next. He kept screaming wordlessly, then suddenly turned over and writhed on the floor, still holding his head, looking for all the world as if he were in death throes. The Eons leaped back and stood on either side of Rui, watching and waiting.

Finally, the scream died away and he slowed his movements until he lay exhausted on the tile. Still the three rescuers waited.

"Rrr..." Seth seemed to growl. He gasped and let his hands drop from his head, breathing heavily. "R-Rui..."

"Wes? Seth?" she whispered back.

"Just Seth. I never liked the name Wes." he replied and turned to look at her, lidded eyes wet with tears. "Thank you... for saving me. For opening my heart... and my eyes." Rui smiled tearfully and crawled forward to help him sit up. "Did I... hurt... anyone?" he asked hesitantly between breaths of air.

"No, not at all. We're all fine." she answered softly.

"They... destroyed the chip... How did you... find me?"

"I had two of them. I didn't know how to tell you, and I thought you'd be mad if I did. I put the first one in the necklace you're wearing." Rui replied carefully and looked at him worriedly. "I was afraid of losing you. To the monster. To Cipher. To Death."

"Smart girl." Seth breathed and winced as he started to stand, "We have to get out of here." His strength began returning as he rested against Rui. "Cipher got all their information back, actually most of it. They didn't have a chance to put a fresh upload in my head before I resigned from Team Snagem."

"Then, it's true? You're an experiment, too? Like that shadow beast and the Shadow Pokémon?" Rui asked, helping him to the computer. He nodded. "Are you... the regenerated Pokémon?"

"Yeah, but not a Pokémon, an enhanced human or something. I have a few abilities and strengths from the Pokémon DNA they used to make me, but that's it. It's also how I know about them all. It's like a genetic knowledge." he explained, "I don't know how it works. But they left the disc here." He closed the windows and unplugged the weighty black device from the computer. "Looks like an external hard drive. Two of them. Ein must have come by earlier for a check up while I was knocked out." Seth muttered and picked up the two discs. "We'll take these to Nett and see what he can learn."

"Then we'll find out what you really are and find a way to keep anything like this from ever happening to you again!" Rui added brightly. She took the discs and shoved them into her pack. "All that's left to do is to stop the shadow beast and get out of here."

"Already on the data here." Seth remarked, calmly purging the system of the information that was pulled from his mind. Rui blushed as she watched.

"Um, Seth? About what I said earlier..." she started bashfully.

"Can we talk about it another time? Ein and the other bozos might come back any minute now." Seth hastily interrupted and pulled back from the keys, "There. It's completely blank now. Let's go, guys!" Rui sighed and followed him to the door.

It opened to reveal Professor Ein standing there in surprise, a paper bag in one hand. He blinked down at Seth and opened his mouth to speak. The Snagger yanked on the tendril of hair coming down from the scientist's head and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying back across from the doorway.

"Run!" he called back, letting the group run by Ein before following them. The professor quickly radioed the breakout and signaled the Chaser beast after them again.

* * *

Sera rushed down the halls, angry by the fact that Ein had let her twin get away. She hadn't waited for so long to lose him now. She'd been forced to stay in the shadows, waiting, watching him grow and mature into a prime Snagger, collecting vast amounts of information during his life. To hell with what was in his head, she just wanted what was in the young man's jeans. Her mouth curved into a hungry smile. No thanks to Ein constantly being in that lab room with him and her having to set up the maze of light and dark rooms to confuse and terrify the girl, she had to hold back on her delicacy.

Then she gets word that he'd escaped the lab, and their control, once again.

Sera was fed up with it. The second she found Seth, she wouldn't care who was around. She'd gobble him up then and there, and walk away purring like she had done with so many other richer and handsome men in her lifetime, but this time, she'd actually keep him around. Gonzap was merely an indentured servant, the engagement a farce. She was only marrying him to get Team Snagem securely under her power. And with Snagem under her control, she could have access to Seth at any time.

She was growing hungrier thinking about it.

But no, oh no! Stubborn, bull-headed, golden-eyed Poké-Man had to run off on them the same day she was going to go down and personally take him back to Cipher, blowing the hideout apart, destroying her father's brand new investments, stealing the last working portable Snag Machine they had... and making off with a delectable body still untasted. It had infuriated her to no end.

_"Bloody hell! He's purged the system! And stolen the discs! Dammit all, why the **hell** couldn't we have just gone back to base the minute we got him and do the download there? I knew this would happen!"_ Ein griped over the radio.

"Stop your whining, you twit! We'll get him back and the data, too!" Sera called back. Ha, he can have his precious bits of data. Just so long as she got the Snagger afterwards to celebrate her rise to power. "Have Gonzap move in to cut them off! I don't want them getting to the elevators!" The brute had better be slow in finding them. If he got his hands on Seth first, Lord knows what condition she would find the Snagger in later. She found the Snagem Boss rather repulsive, more so when she learned he got his jollies from abusing others. That explained quite a bit to her; every word or action Seth made was enough to set Gonzap on him. The new data she was able to read told her nothing more than the usual beatings had taken place.

That was good for her. She liked opening a present untouched and unseen by others. It made it all the more exciting when they fought to stay that way.

She spotted the group running around the corner of a junction ahead of her and smiled. The little tranquilizer pistol in her hand was ready to fire. Sera raised it, aimed and squeezed the trigger, licking her lips.

This was going to be deliciously sweet.

* * *

"I see you're wearing some of my oxide!" Seth called up as they ran on, "Handy in the desert, isn't it?" Rui laughed as the Eons hustled alongside them, keeping their speed even with the humans so as not to overtake them.

"It was! Want your visor back?" she asked, tossing it over her shoulder for him. He caught it and placed it on his head securely. Grinning, he sped up to run beside her.

"I'll race you to the elevator!" he challenged and started to pull away. Rui smiled and pumped her legs harder to catch up. "Come on, Rui! You can do better!" She could hear it clearly in his voice, the joy of being free, the light-hearted nature that he had been forced to hide for so long. Maybe the desert was harsh and cruel at times, but wasn't it beautiful and wonderful at times, too?

She heard a gunshot, felt something rush by her, then cried in horror as Seth stumbled and fell to the floor. She skidded to a halt and knelt by him, then noticed the dart-like object embedded in the back of his shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed and yanked it out, pressing her hand against the wound. Who could have done this?

Rui looked up in a fury at the woman from the monitors, walking towards them with the gun still aimed at them. She had been the one who shot Seth. The Snagger managed to sit up and roll to one side, looking up in confusion at the woman.

"Move away from him if you want to stay alive, little girl." she ordered with a smile, "And maybe I'll let you watch me, if you don't try and stop me."

"What do you think you're doing? Are you crazy? I barely rescued him, I'm not letting a nutcase like you brainwash him again!" Rui snapped.

"That's okay. I'm not going to 'brainwash' him. It's more fun to have him screaming in agony during the ride." the woman replied, a mad light in her eyes. Rui glared at her, realization dawning on her as she hugged Seth close to her, trying to protect him. He frowned and mirrored Rui's expression.

"Jupiter..." Seth whispered the name, the command silently embedded in the tone. A blue aura surrounded the little gun in the woman's hand, wrenching itself from her grip and spinning to aim at her.

"Wh-what? What's happening?" she cried and fled from the gun as it charged after her, "You can't do this to me! I'm Sera Evice, the head of Cipher Corporation! I can not be defeated by parlor tricks!" A gunshot sounded and the woman wailed before falling silent.

"I hope it was fatal." Rui growled and yelped when Seth sat up to nudge her shoulder with a hand.

"Don't say that. You're too kind to start thinking that way." he told her sternly and stood, unsteady at first, then recovering quickly as the Espeon nuzzled his hand. "Jupiter wouldn't do that. She just got hit in the same place as me, but with a stronger dose. I feel a little numb in my throwing arm."

"Will you be all right?"

"I'll live. Let's go. Before Gonzap finds us. I'd like to be far away from here before he has a shot at my ass again." Seth replied and they continued on, "And the race is still on!"


	8. The Death of Darkness

Ch 8

Gonzap waited patiently in the shadows by the last elevator to the main floor. Ein had gone ahead and cut the power to the whole lab with only the dim emergency lights on, leaving him free to hide anywhere and the shadow beast complete freedom to hunt in the lab. Sera had failed in cornering the kids, but he figured she was just dumb enough to let them slip by. Probably only good in bed anyway.

He cracked his knuckles and grinned. This was going to be fun. He waited and worked and planned for this moment, this act of sweet revenge. He'd been beaten three times; once when Seth blew apart the hideout and ran off on him, throwing him the finger as he blazed away, twice when he defeated him in the Realgam Tower and snagged his Shadow Skarmory, the third time when he defeated him in the ruined Snagem Hideout. Not this time, he wasn't going to be defeated this time.

Seth and Rui ran closer to the elevator, the Snagger ahead by a few seconds. Gonzap listened to them laughing, then lunged forward as they reached his hiding spot, gripping the boy in a crushing hug.

"Gotcha now, brat!" he laughed as Rui came to a halt and screamed. Seth struggled and yelled, trying to escape as he wriggled squirmed. "Don't think you're getting off free now!"

"Let him go!" Rui yelled, running up and pounding on his arm with her fists, "You let him go right now!" Gonzap slapped her aside, then grabbed Seth's arm as he tried to get away and reach her.

"Rui! Gonzap, dammit, you don't have to drag her into this!" the Snagger yelled angrily, fighting to get freed again, "Your grudge is with me, not some redhead in pink boots!"

"She got involved in our little get-togethers when she hooked up with you." the boss sneered and threw him to the floor, "We have a lot of catching up to do, Seth! Let's get started!"

Rui shook her head and looked around in a daze, finally letting her gaze rest on Gonzap's back in confusion. He was facing away from her, laughing as he kicked at a figure on the floor. Her focus returned and she recognized the figure as Seth, curled in a fetal position and grinding his teeth together to avoid screaming with each blow. The Eons jumped and nipped at Gonzap, trying to chase him away, but even with his multiple bites bleeding, the boss didn't give up.

"C'mon, Seth! You got more guts than that! Get up and fight!" he taunted. When the Snagger didn't obey, he grabbed him by the neck and hauled him to his feet. "That's better! Let's see if you bounce back like a Wobbuffet!"

"I told you to stop it!" Rui yelled and pulled off a boot. She hurled it with all her strength at the man's head and he glared back at her, Seth pinned to the wall by the neck several inches above the ground. "Put him down!"

"Rui! Get... out... of... here!" the Snagger gasped out, kicking feebly as he tried to pry himself loose. "You don't... want to be... here for... anything more!"

"The hell I'm leaving you behind with this oaf!" Rui shouted, darting forward and slamming the Snag Machine into the back of Gonzap's knee, "Put him down!" The Snagem Boss bellowed and spun around, releasing the boy as he grabbed for his knee. "How dare you beat up on him like that?! Especially after all he's been through already!" She grabbed her boot, pulled it on, then kicked him squarely in the crotch, which had been poking quite a bit beyond the border of the snug jeans he so enjoyed wearing. Gonzap's face turned a bright shade of red, then a deep blue, as he hunched over and fell to the floor. "Are you okay, Seth?" Rui then turned a concerned expression to her friend as he picked himself up with the aide of his Eon partners. He smiled at her bashfully.

"Seems like we just keep saving each other today, doesn't it?" he remarked and tested his limbs, "I know I'll come out of this bruised, but I heal fast. I'm just glad you took him out before anything big happened."

"Why didn't you fight back?! You have some slick moves of your own!" Rui demanded. Seth shrugged helplessly.

"I couldn't. The best arm I have for fighting is my Snagger arm and I told you it was numb. He seemed happy enough beating on me to ignore you, maybe long enough for you to escape. I didn't want you getting hurt." he replied and suddenly coughed into his hand. Rui looked worried again as he frowned at the glove after wiping his mouth clean. "Figures." he mumbled, "Let's get while we still have our bodies in one piece." Seth suddenly smiled and knelt to sift through Gonzap's pockets, coming back with a small wallet stuffed with money and a pair of gold nuggets. "Ha! I knew it! Ass!" he declared and kicked him once, making sure the spiked band wrapped around his boot hit him hard, "Don't mess with the best thief in Team Snagem! You take my wallet, and I'll take your whole damn bank account!"

Gonzap's eyes crossed and his face turned purple as the heroes took the elevator to the top level, with only a few hallways standing between them and freedom.

* * *

"Seth, do you know anything about the shadow beast?" Rui asked as they ran down the hall to the next junction of the lab. The Snagger closed his eyes and focused, trying to call up some bits of data from the information stored in his mind.

"It was made at the same time I was, but it wasn't what they wanted. They fixed it to be able to hunt me down if I wandered somewhere I wasn't supposed to go. Light hurts it because it... accelerates instability?" he struggled to say and finally finished in confusion.

"That's why it only hunted at night, and in the cave, and here with the lights out." Rui murmured and gripped the flashlight she held in her hand. "Seth, we haven't run into the shadow beast yet. We have to find it and destroy it before we can leave, or it will never leave you alone!"

"All right, but how are we supposed to find it if this whole place is dark? I feel surrounded." Seth grumbled as they stopped and looked around the area warily. Rui shifted the Snag Machine and slid it off, holding it out to him. "Thanks, I was really going nuts inside without it." he told her gratefully, sliding it back onto his arm.

"I can sort of sense where it is." Rui murmured, placing her thumb over the switch on the light, "It kinda feels like you, but weirder. Like it's not quite the same feeling, but close enough that, if I didn't know you better, I'd confuse it with you."

"Well then, here's where you have the advantage." Seth whispered, stepping carefully down the hall. They entered a room, spying the exit on the other side. "There's the entrance. It's gotta be here, so get ready to hit it with whatever that thing is in your hand. You check that half of the room, and I'll keep an eye on this half."

"Right." Rui murmured, circling slowly as she crossed the room. She scanned the walls and ceiling, keeping her eyes opened for the wraith. Behind her, Seth coughed again, harder this time. She wondered about that for a moment, then felt a chill run down her back. Seth coughed a second time, then made a choked sound. She sensed the shadow close by and turned to whisper the fact to Seth, only to find the creature's back to her, the eerie purple set in the shape of the Snagger himself. Wasting no time, she flicked on the beam and stabbed forward, burying it into the shadow beast and shutting her eyes as it howled in pain. The specter slowly tore itself to shreds, vanishing like mist into the air, never to take form again.

"Seth! I did it! I got the beast!" Rui declared, leaping back from where it stood with a happy expression. The joy she felt drained away, replaced with a horrified one. Seth stood before her, a slightly surprised and confused look on his face. The wraith had reached him while she had been searching her half of the room.

He coughed again, this time not hiding the small spray of dark liquid that flew from his mouth. A large dark stain grew steadily larger over his stomach. His face seemed so pale in the dim light.

"Seth?" Rui whispered and watched dumbly as he sighed, closing his eyes and dropping down to his knees. It seemed to take hours for him to fall to his side and remain motionless. The shadow monster had finished its prey as it wished to for years, forming a blade from the doppelganger arm and thrusting it cleanly through his abdomen.

The Eons looked back from their investigations of the corners of the room and yelped, running to him. All the nuzzling didn't register any response. Rui sobbed and dropped before him, pulling him into her arms.

"No, no, no! Please, don't be dead!" she begged. He shifted slightly and she stared in hope at him.

"Rui..." he murmured, "Agate... Agate Village... Hurry..."

"Yes, yes! Hang on! I'll take you there and we can get Grandpa and Grandma to help!" she agreed and looked at Jupiter, "Can you help me carry him?" The psychic blinked, then turned to look at Seth, surrounding him with a blue aura of power. Rui carefully positioned her arms underneath him and lifted, expecting to struggle with his weight. Thanks to the Espeon, Seth weighed almost nothing to her. "Okay! Here we go!" she declared and ran for the exit with the two Eons chasing after.

--

A few minutes later, Rui was speeding across the Orre desert, the twins once again within their Poké Balls and Seth sitting, slumped, in the side car. Behind her, a small jet took off from the Shadow Pokémon Lab, bearing a disgruntled scientist, an unconscious corporate princess, and a squeaking behemoth of a man to the lands beyond the eastern border of Orre. Though their attempt to rebuild Cipher in Orre had been thwarted again, the fact remained sealed within Seth's mind; he had not captured _all_ the Shadow Pokémon that Cipher had created. The ones captured and converted by the other Snaggers had been sent over to other lands, and were poised to strike at the proper time. That time was coming near.

* * *

The villagers could hear Rui's screams for help even over the roaring of the heat-pipes and engine from the speeder. She had gone all out in getting across the desert to the quiet village. Eagun dashed out of his house and ran towards her as she slammed the brakes and spun the bike aside to stop. She was covered in dust and her face was streaked with tears as she swung off the machine and went straight to the side car, struggling to pull Seth from it.

"Hang on, Seth! Don't die, don't you dare die!" she told him, still crying, "Somebody! Help me!"

"The forest..." Seth murmured as one of the more able elders helped her pull him from the car, startled by the condition both the Snagger and the girl were in.

"What happened?!" Eagun cried, watching them in horror as they began to make their way to the forest, "Rui! What's happened to Seth?! He needs medical attention!"

"Get him to the forest! Hurry!" Rui continued pleading, hands pressed over the bloody wound, "Hang on, please!"

"Relic..." the Snagger managed to whisper, sounding fainter and fainter with each passing moment.

With the group of elders helping Rui, they were able to get Seth into Relic Forest and placed before the stone structure. He looked up at the group and smiled faintly.

"Thank you... everyone..." he whispered and sighed again, holding a hand out to stroke the stone. "I wanted to be here... when my time came..." Rui choked back a sob and took his other hand in hers, holding it tightly.

"You're not going to die! I said if you died, I'd never forgive you!" she declared, "So you hang on! Grandpa! Call for nurses or doctors!"

"Forget it, Rui... I know the damage..." Seth griped and then softened his expression, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his thumb. "You have got to learn to quit crying over everything. You don't want to be weak in the desert." he added, "The desert will have me, but this forest will have my last breath."

"Seth... Please...!" Rui pleaded softly. The Snagger coughed and closed his eyes, dropping his hand from her face. When she received no other signs of life from him, she bent over the body, wailing into his jacket in anguish. Eagun shook his head and directed the sorrowful group out of the forest. He understood that a broken heart needed time alone.

--

Rui couldn't care less about the time that passed, pouring her whole body into the sobs that shook her to the core. The first time that Seth counted on her, _really_ counted on her to help save him, and she failed. She failed and now he lay dead in the forest. Her desert prince, gone as swiftly as a desert twister.

The forest, usually filled with the sounds of birds and insects, now was silent and absolutely still. Rui lifted her head and looked around, wary of the new wind that was blowing. It swirled around her, then spun around the Relic Stone, carrying petals and leaves aloft. Rubbing at her eyes, she took another look at the stone.

A bright, shining green light formed above it, growing steadily brighter and larger. Rui blinked and her mouth opened in realization. Celebi! That was how Celebi had come when Seth played the flute before the stone. A bright green light flashed above them and the tiny Grass-Psychic Pokémon came flitting down to purify the Entei that raged nearby. Now it erupted to reveal the time-traveling Pokémon. It flitted down to her and cocked its head in confusion, large eyes looking deep into her own.

"What are you doing here, Celebi? You weren't called, you have no master here." Rui whispered and closed her eyes, bowing her head, "Go away. Leave me alone with my broken heart. I want to die and be with him, so go away!"

Celebi floated lower and looked into Seth's face, then at the wound that killed him. It touched it carefully and looked at its hand, dripping red. It shook it off and wiped it carefully clean, then put its hands on Seth's cheeks, staring at his face for a full minute before shooting up to look into Rui's again. It held her face the same way and then flew back from her.

_"Bi! Bi bi bi!"_ it declared and flew around her.

"Go away!" Rui yelled, "Leave me alone!"

_"Bi bi bi!"_ the Celebi went on and hovered over Seth again, holding its hands over the wound. The body lit up in a soft green glow. _"Biiiii!"_ The glow faded after a few minutes, leaving Seth pristine. Rui blinked and looked confused. The Celebi pulled back and then looked into his face with an expression of love, caressing his cheek with one hand. It suddenly flitted up and tapped Rui on the mouth, smiling. _"Bi bi!"_

"Hmm?" she was still confused. It tapped her mouth again, then flitted down and did the same to Seth's mouth.

_"Bi bi!"_ it insisted, then flew up and pushed on her head, trying to force her to bend over again, _"Bi! Bi!"_

"Okay?" Rui murmured, bending over Seth. The grass-type looked exasperated, floating down to adjust her face one way, then another, tiny hands pressing against her cheeks as it worked. It then stood back proudly. She turned red as she looked down at Seth's face, mere inches from her own. This Pokémon couldn't possibly expect her to... to...

_"Bi!"_ Celebi shouted, giving the back of her head a shove with both feet. Rui's eyes went wide as she found herself kissing Seth. The Snagger suddenly gasped, opening his mouth for a breath of air that he ended up stealing from her own. She jerked back and cried in shock as he coughed and groaned, raising a hand to his head.

"Owww. My head hurts. Rui, what did you do, drop me on the Relic Stone for my last moments of life?" he griped and blinked as he looked down at himself. "Wait... where's the gaping hole in my stomach? I should be dead by now..." Rui smiled and cried in joy, hugging him tightly as the Celebi floated behind them, smiling proudly at its achievement. Seth looked surprised, blushing slightly as he sat up against the Relic Stone. After a moment, he smiled and closed his eyes, hugging her back, not bothering to question why he was given another chance to live, just enjoying it and the embrace of a girl he was growing to care for in a new way.


	9. Epilogue or Not?

Epilogue

Seth lay back on the grass, lazily watching the clouds float by as Rui plucked grapes from a bunch in her lap, popping them into her mouth one by one. Every now and then, she would hold one over his mouth and he happily opened it to accept the berry. It had been a month since his rescue from Cipher. Slowly but surely, he was beginning to grow a bit softer, often surprising Rui to the point of a panic attack with sudden gifts of flowers and berries. They delivered the two hard drives to Nett, who immediately poured his time into them, breaking down the research data and filtering out Seth's personal memories for erasing. He had been very direct about making sure that his emotions and thoughts remained his own.

"It's such a beautiful day. I wish all days were like this." Rui sighed as she pulled another can of lemonade from the picnic basket. They were camped at their favorite spot on a hill overlooking all of Agate Village. A few days after Seth's 'death', she had returned home to Zirconia City. Seth himself took to the desert for his home, living in various caves and sheltered spots all over the region. He would go to Zirconia often, delivering presents to Rui's doorstep.

It took some time, but she was able to get away for another long visit to her grandparents' home. Seth immediately left the desert to meet with her and take her safely across to Agate, where they picked up their daily routine of enjoying life and freedom.

"Mmm." Seth hummed and cracked an eye open in irritation as his PDA went off. "What is it now?" He fished it out and opened it, propping the visor onto his head. "Nett. Figures." Jupiter and Pluto lay curled together in the sunlight, dozing. Rui scooted closer to him and hugged his arm, letting her fingers dance across the front of his coat.

"What does he say? Has he found anything else interesting about you?" she asked. Nett's research had dredged up information that Ein had told Gonzap, the knowledge that Seth had been created by the combined DNA of Groudon, Kyogre and a human woman as part of an experiment to create the most powerful Pokémon in the world. Seth frowned at the mail and clapped the device closed.

"There are still a few Shadow Pokémon out there. I hadn't snagged them all." he grumbled and covered his mouth, thinking. "The other Snaggers must have had lucky shots in grabbing some before they disappeared. According to Nett, they were sent to the other lands." Rui looked confused and blinked in surprise when Seth smiled brightly at her. "We're on another mission to save the world, Rui! How about we do it from the lands of Kanto, Johto and Hoenn this time?" he remarked. Rui laughed and jumped up, startling the Eons with her cry.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" she exclaimed.

The End...

* * *

A/N Spoiler Alert!

I really enjoyed writing this story. After having ransacked the Cipher Admins several times in the Deep Colosseum for cash, I decided to have them return and spearhead the teams in Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. Fein will also make appearances, still trying to ruin Seth's reputation. I decided against having Mirakle B. replace Miror B., 'cause I hate his speed-up version of Miror B.'s theme.

Nascour and Evice/Es Cade may or may not come back, I haven't decided, but count on Ho-Oh looking to Lugia for a bit of help in making sure Cipher doesn't stand against the combined might of all of Pokémon's heroes! It'll be up to Seth, Rui, Brendan, May, Silver and Red to stop Cipher from completely tearing up the balance between humans and Pokémon and possibly wreck the world!


End file.
